So this list is designed for two uses:

1. It will help folks who are just starting to read tarot in solidifying their understanding of the cards and
2. It will give them a tool to use when the meaning of the card slips out of mind.

Even with 23 years of reading under my belt I sometimes hit a card in a spread and am unclear about what it means for the reading. When this happens I find myself asking what is its message or its relationship to the rest of the reading.

I use the following techniques to help me ferret out the meaning of the card or its significance in the spread. Keep in mind this is a tool to tap intuitively into what is going on. It can be very helpful, but knowing what the cards mean traditionally is still important.

1. If there is a person in the card where are they looking? If they look backwards think about the past, if they look at another card in the spread think about the relationship between the cards. If they are looking up think spiritually, if they look down think materially.
2. Look at the colours and see if other cards in the spread have the same colours. Think about what the relationship between those cards or positions that are linked by colour.
3. Talk about a related idea to the number on the card. Using numerology, Qabalah, or Astrology to gateway into the card.
4. Ask the person getting the reading how they feel about the card.
5. What is going on in the background of the card? Sometimes it’s the couple in the background, or the dog, or the flower, that is more important than the image in the foreground.
6. Talk about the energy of the card. Does it move? Is it static? Blocked?
7. Tell a story from your life that this card triggers.
8. Is this card a progression or regression from another card in the spread? If the 5 of wands falls after the 4 go back and talk about the other card again and think about the pattern.
9. Look at the client and ask about how they are doing with the reading? Are they nervous, skeptical, relaxed? etc
10. Flip the next card in the spread and come back to the confusing one later.

Just keep relaxed and it’ll come to you.

Do you have something to say? Jump in by posting a comment.

Did you enjoy this post? Can’t wait for what’s next?
Subscribe to the blog via RSS or email.
Get more frequent posts by following me on Twitter.
Or find me on Facebook.

I promise never to sell, spam, or abuse your contact info. You can unsubscribe at anytime. ~ Andrew

So the last year has been one of endless transition for me. Between changing my work, moving, undergoing initiations, and having another child, it’s been quite a ride. The hardest part for me in all of these changes was not the work, or the actual change, it was that point of weightlessness in between being here and there – being in transition. And I have one thing to say about being in transition – it SUCKS! Okay, ranting done.

In the Tarot there are many cards that talk about change but there is one that stands out as being caught in that moment in between states – the princess of Disks. She is, in my reckoning, the last card in the deck. She sits there at the end awaiting the rebirth of the cycle in the return to the fool. In her hands is a large disk with a Yin Yang on it. If it was not so organic-looking it might seem to be a shield. This disk is the seed of what is to come. Everything in this card is about potential.

Timing is everything!

When the Princess of Disks surfaces in a reading her advice is simple - wait. Wait to find out if you got the job, wait for the child to arrive, wait to see if this person is the one. Just wait.

What do you do if you have this kind of time to kill? I don’t mean an hour or a day, but a month or a season? In fact what do you do while you are waiting for the rest of your life to move ahead. It is pretty common these days to just try to work harder, faster, and smarter to get there more quickly. But when the princess of disks shows up its not about the amount of effort exerted, so much as the passing of the hours on the clock.

During my year of transition I spent time going back and forth between angsting about reaching the end and turning my attention to things that were immediate. One of the biggest things I did this year was to become a better cook. You may notice this was not on the initial list, and this is because it was not a goal, but something I found a lot of joy in that passed the time.

The other thing that the disk looks like to me is a life preserver. Being in transition can certainly feel like you are lost at sea, waiting to find land, or be discovered. What can you grab a hold of to keep you afloat during this time?

Surviving Transition Spread
This spread is really geared to keeping you in the now and preventing despair from setting in during periods of transition. So draw three cards and lay them in a row.

1. Pastime – This card is here to suggest what you can do to keep busy, to divert your attention and to refresh you. Don’t look to the meaning of this card so much as to the images on it. If there are trees – get outside. If there are people being active – join a gym. If it’s about knowledge - read a book.
2. Are we there yet? Ok we all have an internal little kid that gets bored with a long journey. Think of this card as the new toy, treat or game that will help in those moments when the end feels far away. Look for something distracting in the card. My 2 year old gets a handful of gummy bears sometimes to help her move through the gap from one place and another, say the playground and the house. It helps with the momentary emotion and allows for easier transitions.
3. Confidence booster. Being in the space between often evokes insecurities. In this card look for some piece of wisdom to hold on to, to be your touch stone during the times when all seems lost or pointless.

Do you have something to say? Jump in by posting a comment.

Did you enjoy this post? Can’t wait for what’s next?
Subscribe to the blog via RSS or email.
Get more frequent posts by following me on Twitter.
Or find me on Facebook.

I promise never to sell, spam, or abuse your contact info. You can unsubscribe at anytime. ~ Andrew