Which Interpretation?
As we study the cards, we realize that each card has many meanings. A common question is “how do you know which meaning to use in a reading?”
Mary K. Greer’s book, 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card is fantastic for lots of reasons. It is interactive, it helps you get involved in your cards, it leads through a journey of self-discovery as well understanding tarot. It is also packed with gems that can help anyone hone their reading skills.
In fact, in it, she answers that question “how do I know which meaning?” She writes:
The Giveaways to Meaning
How can you know what, out of the many meanings, will be relevant in a particular case? You must combine the rational with the intuitive. Here are some of the body-mind or intuitive giveaways:
- Your interest perks up, your attention sharpens, you become more focused
- Your body reacts (breath quickens or is held, fingers move, eyes blink, brows raise, shoulder shrugs, toe taps, etc.)
- You feel some subtle sensation (warmth, heaviness, brightening, ringing, buzzing, magnetism)
- A memory snapshot from your life appears in your mind’s eyes (or your eyes move up and to the left).
- A word or phrase “leaps out”
- You reread a word several times
- You find yourself saying “Yes” or nodding your head
- You find yourself emphatically saying “No” (this may also indicate blocking something you’d rather not consider)
The text refers directly to the issue or something that you’ve said
With a little practice you’ll know which of these works for you. (As a tarot reader, watch for such signs in both yourself and the querent as you survey the meanings.)
I find that my voice lowers almost to a monotone whisper. My querents say it is almost hypnotic. I also find myself pointing at parts of the cards… star symbols, paths, doorways, flowers, colors, etc., and seeing the commonality or opposition between the cards, tracing between the cards as I see these relationships. These are spontaneous actions on my my part; but when I observe them and put them together they seem to tell a story. If nothing like this appears, or I don’t experience such a reaction, I either re-shuffle and re-spread or just put the deck to sleep for a while.
The cards lead me. My voice drops to a mesmerizing level (almost a monotone whisper), when a good reading commences. I intuitively point to a card, and from there branches to another card, which I point to without conscious premeditation. The reading then unfolds. Consistencies become apparent as I am drawn to common or discordant colors, symbols, and meanings throughout the spread. Eventually a story unfolds which reveals the querent’s answer. If no evolution in meaning is apparent; it is time to re-spread or postpone it for another time (with due apologies to the querent, of course).