4 Ways to Interpret Tarot Cards That Turn Up Repeatedly

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Ru-Lee Story, author of the new Your Tarot Toolkit.

It happens to every tarot reader sooner or later: no matter how thoroughly you shuffle, you find yourself pulling the same card again and again. You’ve read the entry in your guidebook of choice, but you still can’t figure out why it’s turning up so often! More often than not, this is a sign that there’s some aspect of the card’s message that you aren’t taking on board. So how can you make sense of whatever it’s trying to tell you? Here are four straightforward ways to open up to your clingy card’s message!

1. Research
If you have other guidebooks on hand, read the appropriate entry from a few of them. Google the card and read descriptions from different sites. I even find it helpful to see how different decks portray the same card. It can be enlightening to get multiple viewpoints on a card’s message, because every artist and author brings their own flavor to the interpretation. And don’t ignore the card’s reversed meaning. Even if you don’t usually read reversals, you may find an angle you hadn’t considered.

2. Reflect
Set aside some time to clear your mind and focus on your card. You can meditate, journal, or even doodle. The important thing is to still your mind and body as much as possible, and to let any connections or associations occur to you spontaneously. Don’t dismiss anything that floats through your mind. It might not seem to make sense in the moment, but it may suddenly click into place later!

3. Enact
For my new book Your Tarot Toolkit, I created activities for every single card in the deck. I find that doing something helps me get the message in my bones, even doing something relatively simple. If your card is a Wand, dedicate some time to creativity or physical activity. If it’s a Pentacle, do something practical like budgeting or housework. For Cups, spend time with a loved one. For Swords, choose something intellectual like writing a letter or reading a book. And for the Major Arcana, do something difficult or unusual for you, like calling a friend you haven’t spoken to in ages or attending an event that isn’t your typical scene.

4. If all else fails…let it go
At the end of the day, if you’re still drawing a blank on what the heck the card is trying to tell you…give yourself permission to let it be for now. You may be so mired in the situation that you can’t see it clearly yet, and that’s okay! Odds are good that you’ll look back later and realize, “Oh, that’s what the Eight of Pentacles was saying over and over!” And in the meantime, you can just roll your eyes and smile knowingly every time it turns up in your readings.

For further activities, reflection questions, and affirmations for your tarot practice, check out Your Tarot Toolkit!

Our thanks to Ru-Lee for their guest post! For more from Ru-Lee Story, read their article, “4 Steps to Turning Your Daily Tarot Draw into a Powerful Affirmation.”