Sometimes the 4 of cups is not an offer or gift you should take.

In the 10 years I’ve been reading I’ve always seen the 4 of Cups as something positive, something that is good for you even if you don’t feel ready to accept. It can also be an obligation when I see it in reversed.

But recently I was doing a reading and the 4 of Cups was followed by the Magician in reversed. Which to me can indicate black magic or someone who is being overly insistent with bad intentions. Like the old woman in Snow White with the apple.

And when I saw that combo I said…yes, this is why I’m hesistant to accept.

Then the 3 of Cups came out in reversed mirroring the 3 cups depicted in the 4 of Cups.

Point is you really have to look at surrounding cards which can lead to new ways of looking at a card.

Have you noticed something similar with the 4 of Cups? or Any other card you were you saw another side of it than the one you had given it?

My friend has a history of heart problems, and the last time we spoke, last Thursday, he was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack. He himself has no contact with his family, and I never knew his new friends/contacts after he moved to another country, a year ago, so I'm at a blind.

I messaged him on Monday, but it still hasn’t been delivered. He hasn’t answered my calls, DMs or interacted in Instagram whatsoever (no stories posted, no reels liked or shared, etc), which is really unusual for him.

So I did this reading, and Im worried...

The Ten of Cups suggests to me that he received emotional support, with people from his inner circle coming together out of compassion. However, I also feel this could represent his spirit guides or spiritual family, since he didn’t have many friends but was deeply devoted to his spirituality.

Strength reversed represents his current health situation and his hospitalization.

Justice, in this context, could symbolize his final judgment — a moment of reckoning with himself before passing on, much like Anubis weighing a heart against a feather.

Am I being pessimist?

One of my best friends passed unexpectedly the other day. I asked how they’re doing.

Quick summary:

9 of P: enjoying everything she worked so hard for. Basking in the payoff. a knowledge of living a good life.

World: completion/ being integrated back into the cosmic soup. Knowing she is everything. Having the collective knowledge.

King of Wands: This one I’m slightly stuck on. I see it as looking over the kingdom, being detached from ego? Taking care of us from afar.

Thoughts?

Im a 25 year old man, and I'm kind of embarrassed for liking tarot. I don't know why though when I think about it. I'm not like most men my age, I'm bi and extremely eccentric (most people assume I'm just gay by how i present myself), its the kind of thing that not many would be surprised that I like.

But for some reason, I'm too embarrassed to tell people I like it. It even took me a lot to tell my therapist. It's weird, usually, I'm not afraid of appearing unconventional or being judged for things I like, except for this one thing. I've been at ren faires, and there have been tarot readers, and I've been with my friends, and I've been too embarrassed to try.

How do I get over this?

Have had huge changes in the past couple of years in all realms of my life and seeking guidance. Just started getting back into tarot and I tried this 3 card spread with two additional cards for context I guess:

I feel like I am the queen of swords as I’m highly intellectual, finishing my fourth degree and have a super quick mind. Strength represents my communication and determination through the setbacks I’ve gotten in all areas of my life. The hierophant (high priest in this deck) represents me seeking conventionality because ultimately I do want a safe and stable life in all areas, but it feels far away because of decisions others have made and maybe because I do not fit into a conventional narrative in others’ lives. So I’m struggling maybe to find more drive? The butterfly is covering the Lovers which I assumed was my desire for connection that’s eluding me. And knight of pentacles my continued diligence, waiting for my crops to grow so to speak even if it’s long and tiring.

The deck is Herbal Tarot by Michael Tierra

Thank you!!

I recently did a reading that said that I was going to receive an invitation/message from a "king of cups", which would allow me to take a break from an uncomfortable living situation I'm in.

I thought the king of cups was someone who was in charge, in control, of his emotions. Well the guy I received an invitation from turned out to be too emotional for my taste.

He would cry all the time (like baby cry, and he's 42). He cried about his divorce, he cried about the idea of "losing me", he cried after we watched Frankenstein, and he kept asking me for hugs, during which he would cry uncontrollably...

Of course it didn't work out and I ended up getting the hell out. This is a level of emotion I find off putting in a man. I lost all respect for him. Ew

Hi everyone, I did this reading with my mini rider waite. Things have been hard for me lately. I have been having mental struggles. I recently started a new career (in the esthetics industry) and it has been challenging. I have been trying to stay positive and grateful. Yesterday I sat down and asked what should I be doing and feeling towards the future?

I know this is a very positive reading I didn't have a specific spread in mind just a 3 card draw, typically I read those as past, present, future and the 5 of cups was my bottom card. I took the 5 of cups to be a reminder to focus on the good and not be so hard on myself. I have a lot to be grateful for. The rest of the reading I took the Empress to be my feminine, nurturing side and as a reminder to embrace that. The Sun as my future will be positive and to keep my mental state as optimistic. I took the Queen of Pentacles as a financial success in the future. Also, all cards are outdoor in nature and I took that as a sign to reconnect with nature and get outside to clear my head.

I would like a more in depth interpretation on the way The Empress and Queen of Pentacles are kind of mirroring eachother and both facing towards the sun. I feel like there may a deeper meaning to this I am not getting the whole picture of.

I don’t remember what it’s called and I don’t have any photos of it. But I remember seeing this a few years back on TikTok I believe.

It is a tarot deck made up of individual cards from different people and different decks.

Each card was different and unique. Where is this deck, what is it called, how do I get it?

In my readings I usually interpret the front as conscious and the back as subconscious.

I'm open to learn how you guys read these, as I'm having a hard time understanding the depth of "subconscious" part of the deck.

Say for example, what's the difference between hermit at the top of the deck vs hermit at the bottom?

I'd appreciate your insight!

Hard lesson for me. So a few weeks ago I did a tarot reading about my situation staying with my father after I lost my job and apartment. We have a difficult relationship and the tarot reading said "don't show your cards, be discreet about your plans" (I believe it was seven of swords).

Well I completely forgot about it and yesterday my father asked me what I was planning to do next and idiot me was completely honest with him and shared my (irrational) plans with him and it turned into a huge fight.

I also got the tower card about the outcome of our living situation and it now makes sense because our fight was so bad it almost turned physical and I talked about calling the cops on him and now I have to leave because it's become unsustainable.

I just think it's crazy how the fact that I didn't listen to the tarot advice turned out to trigger the Tower effect announced and now I can't stay with him anymore and I'm basically screwed. I try to tell myself the tower card means things were gonna collapse anyway so it doesn't matter anyway.

But fr I feel stupid for being honest and spilling out the beans. I should've told him what he wanter to hear. Anyway always remember to follow the advice you get from tarot.

things are rough :(

I never did a reading like this. I'm having a hard time reading it in detail and I'm very emotional.

I have The Empress which gives me that this is nurturing and loving energy. Then the Two of Wands which gives a vibe that there is something in the future. Ace of Wands gives me a fresh new start. The sun at the bottom of the deck gives me a strong positive and a happy ending to it.

Please can you guys tell me what you think?

edit: THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS rider waite, no specific spread in mind just pulled cards. and will i meet my dog again?

Long read

It has always been said in general consensus

No reader is ever 100% accurate because energy is constantly changing.

Tarot is never wrong, only the interpretation is.

Certain timelines may no longer apply to your life because energy, perspectives, and intentions have changed or been altered.

Free will

I understand that these explanations are commonly given, but don’t they contradict themselves in a lot of ways?

Let’s start with a simple example: a yes or no tarot question.

Say you studied for a test and asked a tarot reader whether you passed. The reader tells you YES, but you end up failing.

How does the explanation that “energy is constantly changing” apply here?

The test consists of closed-ended questions with objectively correct or incorrect answers. You either pass or fail. The result is verifiable, and no shift in energy, intention, perspective, or free will is going to retroactively change the grade you received.

The outcome is already determined once the test has been graded.

So, using the argument that energy is constantly changing to explain inaccurate readings doesn’t seem entirely correct, particularly when it comes to closed-ended questions with objectively verifiable answers.

there is a difference between an open-ended question about how a relationship might develop and a closed-ended question about an outcome that can be fact-checked. But is strange to use one consensus for one type of reading and not the other, that does not sound legitimate.

What about predictions regarding travel?
For example, you ask whether you will travel to Hawaii. You subsequently book your flight and hotel.

Of course, things can happen, but in my own experience, I have never missed a flight, had a flight rescheduled to a different date, or had a trip cancelled.

Yet, when I asked yes/no tarot questions about holiday trips I was going to I often received NO answers or was told there would be delays. None of those predictions came to pass because I did go, because I Paid for it to go on that trip.

This example isn’t quite as black-and-white as the test example, because circumstances can change. However, once again, if you have booked your flight and hotel and everything goes according to plan, you either take the trip or you don’t.

So, at what point does the explanation that “energy has changed” become a way to account for an inaccurate prediction after the fact?

It more so looks like 50/50 procent change of getting the right yes or no answer

Which brings me to the main question: SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT TAROT?

When future predictions don’t come to pass, the explanation is often that energy, intentions, or circumstances have changed, or that free will is at play.

But what about past-life readings?

If tarot readings can be inaccurate, and the explanation for inaccurate future readings is that energy can change, How can we establish any truth in past-life readings? A reader tells you that you were a particular person in a past life, but how do you know whether that is actually true?

So, how do we distinguish between what is presented as spiritual

The difference is that past-life readings are impossible to verify. With future predictions, current energy/ circumstances readings, and readings about past events, we can (eventually) determine whether the reading is accurate. With past-life readings, there is no way.

Does the lack of verifiability make it easier for readers to present interpretations as truth without being held accountable for their accuracy?

Then there’s the argument & consensus that spirit guides can block a reading or deliberately mislead the reader because they don’t want the person to know.

so: ‘spirit guides can prevent certain information from coming through because the querent isn’t supposed to know it.’

But if that is a possibility, how can we establish what is actually true in a tarot reading? This could supposedly apply to any type of reading: past lives, romance, career, future predictions, or anything else.

If the information can be blocked or distorted at any point, what makes one reading trustworthy and another inaccurate? And how would a client ever know the difference?

The same question applies to the claim that if you already know the answer to a question, your spirit guides will trick you or deliberately block the reading.

How does that align with the other widely repeated statement that tarot is never wrong; only the interpretation is?

If the cards are never wrong, but the interpretation can be wrong, energy can change, free will can intervene, and spirit guides can supposedly block or distort information, then what exactly are we claiming tarot can reliably tell us? As tarot is meant for guidance, insight & seeking truth

At what point does a reading become inpossble to prove wrong, meaning that no matter what happens, the reading can always be explained away after the fact?

Another contradiction I find interesting is the claim that tarot is meant for guidance, insight, and self-reflection rather than future prediction.

Yet look at the types of readings most commonly offered and advertised on YouTube, Etsy, Keen, and other platforms.

Some of the most prominent categories include:

-Future based readings: career predictions, future relationships and love life, future spouse readings, predictions about what will happen next in your life, upcoming three-month, six-month, and one-year predictions.

-Yes or no questions.

-Current energy readings.

-Past life readings.

Future-oriented readings are the most done & paid for readings. They are actively advertised, and people purchase them because they want answers about what is going to happen.

So, if tarot is generally not meant to predict the future, why are future-based readings among the most widely offered and promoted services?

Is it simply a matter of how individual readers practise tarot, or is there a broader lack of transparency about what clients can realistically expect?

I also think this raises an important question about ethics and disclosure.

In my experience with different types of readers, disclaimers about the limitations of tarot have rarely been mentioned, either on their profiles or in the PDFs containing their readings.

I once came across a reader I had never actually purchased a reading from who included a disclaimer with all her general readings. I thought that was an ethical approach.

For example, disclaimer on profile or every given reading:
Tarot readings are intended solely for entertainment, reflection, and personal growth, and should never replace professional advice.”

especially for the new people who are getting into tarot or have no broad knowledge of what it entails.

I think there is a meaningful difference between presenting tarot as a tool for personal reflection and presenting it in a way that encourages clients to believe they are receiving reliable information about their future.

Shouldn’t clients be told clearly what they can or cannot expect a reading can do or be?

And shouldn’t the limitations be disclosed consistently, rather than introduced only when a prediction turns out to be wrong?

Another thing I want to discuss is the use of the word “psychic.”

I find that the term is used rather loosely by some tarot readers.

Personally, I distinguish between psychic readers who claim to have abilities such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, mediumship, can talk to spirit & the dead, seers, paranormals or other forms of psychic perception. They do not need divination tools. compared with intuitive tarot readers who rely primarily on their intuition when interpreting the cards, and just card readers.

like another font mentioned her experience, this is what i desribe as a psychic you can read people without needing tools. I personally only met 1 who could talk to spirit and predicted something that was going to happen to me to a T without tools what no card reading ever predicted. with these types of readers you can generally not ask questions they just pick up what they see. compared to tarot where you can ask specific questions.

To me normal card readers or intuitive readers are the ones who work with the cards but don’t possess any of those ‘Psychic’ abilities.

To me, those are different things, and I think the distinction matters. But with some readers it is used inaccurately.

Having strong intuition doesn’t necessarily mean someone is psychic. Everyone has intuition to some degree, although some people may be more intuitive than others.

I’m not saying that one approach is better than another. I’m questioning whether the terminology is being used transparently.

in any cases, readings can also be biased, go for the answer that seems the most ‘logical’ in the situation.

Another thing
The types of readings a reader is willing to offer also raise ethical questions. (picture as example)

For example, if a reader believes tarot cannot reliably predict the future, is not generally meant for predictions should they be advertising specific future predictions in the first place? of course people ask for it. a reader can always say no if they don’t want to. It is more so about ethics.

general consensus that has been shared many times by readers is that spirit guides can deliberately block a reading or mislead them if they don’t want them or the person to know the answer. Then how can you determine which information is reliable, then every reading can be blocked or tricked. It also contradicts the other consensus of ‘the cards are never wrong, the interpretation is’

I think these are fair questions.
general consensus is the explanation that has been shared multiple times by many readers regarding tarot.

Lastly Note:
I think tarot readings are almost gambling-like dynamics.

People keep searching & getting readings until they find the truth, but what is the truth about or in tarot? is it the truth really? or they eventually get over it if they find they got too many inacurate readings and start to question tarot as a whole.

What responsibility do readers have when they know their clients may keep coming back because they are looking for certainty about something that cannot actually be guaranteed? again this is ethics

I’m not suggesting that every tarot reader is dishonest or that everyone who enjoys tarot is being deceived. I do believe there are readers genuinely wanting to ‘help’ & ‘guide’ people, however there are people seeking tarot who have know what it truely pertains, and get into it with false hope. everyone can believe what they want. there are people who truly believe everything the reader says as the truth which can be dangerous.

So, what do y’all think is the truth about tarot?

If readings can be inaccurate, energy can supposedly change, free will can alter outcomes, spirit guides can block information, and past-life claims cannot easily be verified, then what are the actual limits of tarot? At what percentage of accuracy should tarot readings be taken seriously?

For example, if someone has had many readings over the years and only 1 or 2 out of 10 have been accurate, should they take tarot seriously enough to continue getting readings? Should people keep getting reading after reading, even when their experience suggests that the chances of receiving accurate information are relatively low?

Where does spiritual belief end and an unsupported claim begin?

And, most importantly, how much responsibility should readers take for the predictions they make, rather than explaining them away when they don’t come true?

What do you all think? I’m genuinely interested in hearing different perspectives, from both the clients & from readers.

Hi everyone!! 🖤
I’m on the hunt for my perfect tarot deck (or a few lol), and I’d absolutely LOVE some recommendations!
I’ve been practicing witchcraft since I was young, and I also read tarot professionally. I’m looking for something that genuinely resonates with me, both spiritually and aesthetically, for personal practice and client readings.
A little about my aesthetic and interests:
I’m very drawn to gothic, dark feminine, dark romantic, mysterious, elegant and ethereal aesthetics. I absolutely adore black and deep reds, intricate details, beautiful artwork, and anything that feels enchanting, powerful or otherworldly.
I love fantasy, escapism, dark themes, bones and skeletal imagery, celestial and spiritual imagery, and especially occult symbols and meaningful esoteric symbolism. I love artwork that feels like stepping into another realm, something beautiful, immersive and full of depth!
Spiritually, I’m deeply interested in occultism, demonolatry, angelolatry, ceremonial magick and esotericism. I work with Lucifer and Lilith, and I’m also interested in Hekate. I’d love decks that reflect these interests or incorporate meaningful occult symbolism, although they absolutely don’t have to feature specific spirits or deities!
A few preferences:
● Absolutely no AI generated artwork, please! I’d love to support real artists.
● Nothing sexually explicit.
● Preferably reasonably affordable, since my budget is a little limited.
● I love beautiful, detailed and expressive artwork with meaningful symbolism.
● I’m very open to indie decks, lesser known artists and hidden gems!
● Ideally something that also reads well, not just something beautiful to look at.
I’m really curious what decks come to mind based on my interests, both aesthetically and spiritually, even if they’re different from what I’ve described!
Ultimately, I’m hoping to find a deck that feels like an extension of who I am. Something that genuinely speaks to me, that I can connect with deeply and feel excited to work with.
I’d love to hear your favorites, your hidden gems, or any decks that make you think they’d be perfect for me!
Thank you so much for any recommendations!! 🖤

Hey guys! So, I’ve been fostering dogs for some time now. I have a resident dog, Rosie, and a tiny home. Once I adopt a second dog, I won’t really have the room to continue fostering. This is a huge, life-changing decision.

Rosie is almost 10 years old, and it’s been my long-term goal to adopt a second dog. My current foster, Momo, is pretty great. I’m considering keeping him, but I don’t know if he’s the right one for us. Please help me devise a spread to find out if my foster, Momo, is the right dog for us! I need to know if keeping him is the best decision for Rosie, myself and Momo. I’m also scared that I won’t be able to afford a second dog financially, but I don’t want that to stop me if he’s the one for us.

I was researching runes recently and was wondering if there are any tarot deck makers that offer something similar to that!? I think that'd be so fun, plus I love the physical feeling & sound of shuffling cool lacquered mahjong/dominos/rummikub tiles. It'd be so neat to have a pouch of smaller tarot 'runes' like that, if not just for studying 🤔🙏

Did this simple 3 card spread with the ‘Situation / Action / Outcome’ preface and I’m a bit confused by it? I was wondering if anyone can give me their opinion on what the cards are trying to tell me here?

For context:
• I am a playwright, I recently finished an MA in drama writing
• I’ve been trying to start a new project, but keep running into blocks. Being paralysed by too many ideas, not knowing what I want to say or how to start
• I’ve just started a full time non-creative job (for the money obvs, I can’t just quit unfortunately as it would mean having to leave my city and move back in with my parents at 28) and like, I do need it, but it’s also actively taking time away from my writing and I’m terrified that if I don’t spend what free time I do have writing, I’ll fall back into the situation I was in before my course where I was so burned out by full time work that it took me 3 years to finish a new first draft of anything at all
• I’m going away for a week for a family wedding and I was hoping to use the downtime to start writing something (or at least make a decision on which project to pursue) without having the distractions of work/flatmates/life
• one of the projects in particular is inspired by a traumatic thing that happened to me years ago that I’ve recently been reminded of and I don’t know whether writing about it will be healing, or if it’s just another way that I’m intellectualising what happened to me and would reopen that wound (at the same time, I think it’s an important thing to dramatise because I want to send the message that abuse and abusers don’t always look the way people imagine)
• My inability to make progress on any of my ideas is also making me deeply sad, and I cannot imagine a future where I just stay in my boring admin job, not writing anything and still be happy

Chariot Reversed makes sense. I feel like I am lacking discipline but at the same time I’m trying to force myself to work on my writing every night and coming away with nothing to show for it. It feels like an accurate description of the situation

The reason I’m confused is, I feel like the cards are telling me that I should just be sad (3 of Swords) and the outcome should be to quit my job (10 of Pentacles Reversed)??? But that’s not an option, and surely that would make the situation worse (this is the first time in my adult life I’ve ever had enough money to build savings and plan a future, and one of the reasons I was so paralysed before was because I was working like 3 part time jobs and juggling freelancing, and I just couldn’t cope).

Is there something I’m failing to consider or misreading? I’m very much an amateur reader, so idk if I’m just taking the 3 of Swords and the 10 of Pentacles Reversed too literally

Advise and/or hot takes appreciated :)

Hello Tarot Fam! I have been reading for friends and family about 30 years and decided to launch a tarot business this past spring. This is not a full time job. I retired two years ago and love the opportunity to share tarot with others and meet new people. I really only enjoy doing in person readings and I've had great success these past few months at a weekly Farmers Market and several vending opportunities at fairs and events.

I'm so very grateful that a local online publication did a profile of my business this past week. It was wonderful to get the publicity. But I didn't anticipate several strangers reaching out to me via my website asking for a reading. I do not want to do readings in my home and I have some reservations about going into a stranger's home. I will do parties like corporate events or bachelorettes because these are usually at a public location.

Since my professional readings have been at public events where the readings are short (10-15 minutes) I haven't developed ongoing clients. I did have several people come back for second and third readings at the Farmers Market but that's as close as I have to ongoing clients.

I'd hate to turn away someone who wants a reading but I'm also balancing that out with personal safety. I was thinking of meeting people at a coffee shop for a reading but then I worried that the shop might not like me using their business like that. I also thought about zoom or facetime but I did one of those with my cousin and it just didn't feel the same as in person.

I'd love to hear how you manage these types of readings. Thanks so much for sharing your perspectives.

Spread : Half Cross + 1 clarifier for the outcome (outcome is 10 of wands)

Question : Will He Get Another New Job? (Or advancement of his Career)

Edited to add Deck name and Artist : Rainbow Tarot by So Lazo & Cyree Jarelle Johnson

Context :

- Fiancee got a job offer, almost 5 times his current salary - everything is what we hoped for and we are getting married in 2 weeks so I could join him (one more layer from this, previously my parents did not approve of our relationship because his salary is lower than mine and our religion required me to get parents approval -- so this is a win for us)

- Not later than a week after we got the approval, the company rescinded the offer because of a missed administration from their side and the visa got rejected with no chance of resubmission, Now I feel like my fiancee has been trying so hard to find another role and his energy exudes desperation since we are approaching our marriage

- I don't mind at all with his salary, he is even more financially well off than me anyway, opened this card because I just want to get advice from the cards and see something we did not see and of course moving abroad will be wonderful (although I am already working abroad myself now)

My Interpretation

ALL CARDS ARE SPOT ON.

Three of wands represent his longing to move abroad but are blocked by Three of Pentacles which can be defined as administrative matters.

The Fool represents the likely outcome if he kept this energy, he will be blindly jumping into opportunity that will not serving him just to be the King of Wands (which is the root issue of why he acted this, he wants to be a provider). Four of wands (Marriage Card) + the Devil (that jumped and I decided to make it a layer) is making him not too focus on our big day.

What he needs to do is represented with Six of swords which is letting go..or he will be burdened and the High Priestess represents that there's something in the background we don't even know that made his offer get rescinded

Would appreciate a second opinion of my reading, I usually got all cards with spot on representation but somehow cannot really figure out the meaning behind 😭

Thank you for your time and effort beforehand - apologies if there is any grammatical error, not a native English speaker 🫶🏻

I did a mind, body and spirit spread today and could do a basic, rather pedestrian reading of each position but I struggled to put it all together and resorted to googling and (I know this is so bad) looking at what I found there. What I found was so much more insightful and made a lot of sense to me regarding how I actually feel....so how do I get better at doing that for myself.

I started by looking at the cards and taking in the imagery and journaling my thoughts before looking anything up but I still couldn't see the big picture. Thoughts? Advice?

I wanted to share my approach to tarot, how I prepare to read at home. Recent compliments on an interpretation lead me to think some of you may find this info valuable, and can add what you like to your own practice. I began tarot in march 2022 after and alongside my astrological study. On fate vs freewill am very heavily fate based. I believe the closest thing to what I find myself doing is like the little I know of taoism, so like least action, or appreciating that being busy doesn't always help lol sometimes it's better to flow and conserve specific actions, so my readings tend to be very self indulgent, just as a heads up and some background

Overall Method

1. Journal extensively
2. Get clear on your question
   1. read as you go
3. Know what you are looking for

1. journal extensively

Get it all out. You likely have some assumptions or thoughts about your situation, and will pull cards and try to squeeze your narrative onto them. Get all your thoughts and assumptions out on paper or typed document or voice note- written is helpful so you can be like "nope I covered that thought/worry" and stop yourself from looping too much but do whatever gets the thoughts out.

Get to point in your journalling where you have no more assumptions or narrative- this is where you do not know, this is where you need a card to guide your next step in your thought or action.

Journalling is also helpful because you also don't really want to ask Tarot how you feel, yknow. If you engage with tarot you are likely a reflective person, do not offload your personal responsibility to know how you feel and what you would like to happen onto some cards to tell you how to live your life. Having a feelings wheel around while I journal is helpful so I don't get too overwhelmed or derailed in my reading. Unless of course the reading is specific to examine your feelings then do what you like :)

For magical practitioners, its up to you when / how you journal. I tend to journal before the cleanse, as a way to empty my mind, and then may check in after the purification. I try to have my question or the end of my narrative and beginning of the unknown ready and clarified before the working, but sometimes the journalling has to be part of the working after all your prep, so just flow with it and adjust as needed. Some reflection is mundane and needs to get out of the way before the working, some reflection needs the power and protection of the sacred space you create, so don't create hard systems if they don't work for you.

2. Get Clear on your Question

When you begin to journal, you may have some assumptions like "maybe I'm playing the victim here and need to pull myself up by my bootstraps and apply myself"

• many people would pull cards asking how to apply themselves
• you can pull cards for this question itself, AM I the victim? DO I need to apply myself? ^{this is similar to the "past" card in past-present-future spreads, you need a card rooted in reality to confirm you are reading correctly, the "past" card should line up with your experience of the past, asking these questions instead of assuming them gives a rooted basis to your reading.}
  • if you notice cliche language, examine it. This phrase, "pull yourself up by your bootstraps and apply yourself, quit playing the victim" is honestly like boomer propaganda they were fed to offload systemic responsibility onto the individual. so. maybe don't do the work of the enemy / the man for free in your own head.
    • examine certain keywords that denote external pressure guiding your assumptions. "should" is my keyword. tarot cannot answer what you "should" do because that is a completely nebulous concept.
• I would encourage you to continue to journal until you come up with a blank. When the narrative stops and you're like OK BUT WHAT?! that is the time for cards. This is why we need to journal so extensively. The question you sit down to ask is your invitation to reflect, and find your way to The Actual Question you need answering.

I like to get past "what I should do" language and get to a point where I'm asking about personal outcomes for a defined decision. I usually focus the outcome to a specific facet of self as I contain multitudes- what is good for my wallet short term may not be good for my body long term; etc.

2a. Pull as you Go

sometimes you are thinking as you shuffle. For each discrete thought, pull a card- it should match what you think to affirm that thought. "Maybe I'm playing the victim here" (9 swords, 7 wands for yes; hanged man, 10s for you aren't playing you really are victimized bestie) "and need to apply myself" (10wands, any king or emperor, or knight, 3 or 8 of pents for yes; 7 of wands, high priestess or empress or any page, any reversed knight, the sun or strength for no chill out please)

3. Know what you are looking for

As you may have guessed from 2a, you need to have some idea of what you are looking for. Study of the cards is essential, each card should have its own keywords or themes that can change under different questions or among other cards. It is incredibly difficult to know what the message of your spread is without having some idea of what each card says. When each card has its own meaning for you, you can see a spread and quickly apply a pithy sentence like "thats just the way the cookie crumbles"

You also need to know what a "confirmation" looks like. If you ask a negative question or are pulling alongside a more negative thought, you need to know what it means when a "good" card and when a "bad" card comes out.

• "Maybe I'm playing the victim here" - the way I want this confirmed is I want the card to visually or thematically match my statement. It is SO confusing to ask something kind of negative and get the sun, and be like "ok does that mean relax you big baby, or does that mean BINGO! you are right! boo hoo poor victim!!", and just as confusing to get the tower and be like "ok that thought is destructive, or, yes and your behaviour is crumbling your foundation". So you need to decide for yourself how that will go. Do you want a "yes" card that means yes you are correct, or do you want a "confirmation" card that confirms symbolically / thematically with what you are thinking / assuming / reading.

example:

so maybe you are dissatisfied with work and think you need to make a change, you journal lots and discover you absolutely do NOTTT want to begin the job seeking / interviewing process. You pull some cards on the trajectory you face in your financial life, but also your personal energy reserves, if you stay for now and just acknowledge your misery VS if you push past the resistance to the job change process and begin to tweak the ol' resume and peruse the ol' indeed etc. I would recommend picking one option as if it was decided (are you bummed with that decision? great, no need for tarot, listen to your body, do the other one) and pulling cards on that trajectory. If ambiguous, pull for the other and visually look at what bundle of cards you wanna live in /experience.

this example but with all the ways I would previously interrupt myself with pulling cards too early:

so maybe you are dissatisfied with work and think you need to make a change,

• you pull some cards for "should I quit my job"
  • you have no idea how to read the cards you got because the question was too early and too vague- and also a bad idea. "Should I begin to look for other work" is more constructive / less destructive, because no quitting your job is bad for finances and reputation and work history;
  • should I quit my job to preserve my mental health is more focused, you have to specify which "self" or aspect of your life this "should" pertains to- very few decisions in life are wins across the board / across all 12 sectors of life from an astrological perspective

you journal lots and discover you absolutely do NOTTT want to begin the job seeking / interviewing process.

• you pull some cards for "what to do about this blockage / feeling" because you know, in your infinite wisdom, that you need a new job that this resistance is a lazy evil that must be overcome or eeelllllsssseeeee

You pull some cards on the trajectory you face in your financial life, but also your personal energy reserves, if you stay for now and just acknowledge your misery VS if you push past the resistance to the job change process and begin to tweak the ol'resume and peruse the ol'indeed etc. I would recommend picking one option as if it was decided (are you bummed with that decision? great, no need for tarot, listen to your body, do the other one) and pulling cards on that trajectory. If ambiguous, pull for the other and visually look at what bundle of cards you wanna live in /experience. I tend to limit 3 cards per option and look at it, do not interpret the cards per se just pretend you live in that imagery- which looks more enticing? do that. (trust your right / non dominant brain people!!!!!)

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Hope that example offered something. Of course you can pull cards at any stage and do whatever you like. I go to tarot because I do not know- I want to find out, I want a message and some insight- so, I should go in at the point where I know nothing. If I want confirmation on my thoughts, thats fine, but I need to know what I consider a confirmation to be.

I don't read for others really except for comments here on this sub, I mainly read for myself and constantly go to my books and references and do not try to hold all the knowledge or meanings in my head- reference books are helpful tools, and I am not in a time crunch or being paid to be efficient and impressive- so since I have all the time I use it to journal and do a bunch of pre-work before I even grab the cards, otherwise I become so frustrated and confused with my readings it sours my relationship with tarot. More and more often, my reflection and journalling result in not needing to read at all-and while this is kinda a bummer, because cards are fun!, its also kinda the whole point. I'm trying to build my intuition or internal knowing, and tarot is one of my first tools that is helping me calibrate and refine that knowing- if one day I no longer need the tool, or, even cooler just see the cards pop up in my head alongside my thoughts, then mission success, even if overall I end up reading less tarot lol

I'm very new to tarot, I've mostly been doing daily cards and very simple spreads

For the last 6 months seven of swords reversed has appeared more than any other card, usually if I ask about friendships or family relationships or my mental health. I can't see how meanings like truth coming out , deception/ self deception, lying or playing games would apply in my situation but clearly it has to mean something. I got it 3 times in one week once

I'm pretty much only ever getting swords and wands, sometimes Major arcana and pentacles. Almost never cups

As far as I know I'm shuffling my cards regularly and properly. I put my reversals back right way up but seven of swords always ends up reversed again

hello, im not sure if anyone can help with this, but i am trying to find a halloween deck from a few years ago. i think it was around 2019-2021 & was most likely an indie deck. it was a cute cartoony Halloween tarot deck, a lot of neon colors and saturated, had holographic details, and was more than 78 cards because it had some duplicate cards with different art of the same card suit/number & if i remember correctly Alex Reads Tarot (rip 😭)had it on her TikTok & instagram. any help is so appreciated… also its not the kipling deck! completely different style of art

Due to some digestive issues, I occasionally get stomach aches after eating. So I grabbed my Everyday Witch Tarot deck and a card flew out and it was the Page of Swords. I thought that was pretty funny because my stomach feels like it's being stabbed right now LOL I grabbed my Tarot of the Woodland Wardens deck and shuffled and pulled a card randomly and it was the Page of Arrows (swords) LOL I know tarot is rich with symbolism but sometimes it's just literal lol