Reading Other People’s Readings
It’s not as straightforward as you might expect
There was a time when I would often receive requests from people who wanted me to help them interpret readings that they’d done. “Hey, I’m going on a trip. I pulled these cards. Do you think it’ll be a good trip?”
Whenever I replied with something along the lines of “I don’t know. Do you think it will be?” the person would think I was being an ass. And 10% of me was being an ass—after all, if you want a reading from me or to learn to read tarot from me, I offer those services. But 90% of me was serious because you can’t reasonably look at a bunch of cards someone else has drawn and expect to interpret them well. I can tell you what the cards typically mean, but that’s only part of a tarot reading.
What I can do is help someone interpret their own readings, or better yet, avoid these problems next time. And I’m excited to be able to offer that to students during Office Hours as part of my semester of courses.
But without the context of the reader’s intentions, the card positions and questions (if any), and the intuitive hits that the reader themself received (knowingly or not), it’s hard to effectively accurately recreate the reading. Let’s look at some examples.
Let’s say that the uncertain reader pulled the following cards in response to the general question, “Will my trip be good?”
4 of Wands
5 of Swords
8 of Pentacles
The High Priestess
Page of Wands
Where do I start? I don’t love the question, but that’s a separate issue.
Why are there five cards for such a simple question?
Is this really a simple yes/no question? Are there questions within the question, such as whether they’ll meet anyone? Is there a sequence of events? Were any or all of these pulled as “clarifiers” (which in my mind are almost always unhelpful)? Is there some psychic insight coming along for the ride?
But even before that, what about the trip itself?
Where is the reader going? Why are they traveling? What makes a business trip “good” is different from a romantic getaway, which is different from a funeral, which is different from a pilgrimage to find oneself. The cards you pull have different implications.
These are things that the uncertain reader should know before doing the reading, so they’re helpful points of entry for teaching someone how to interpret their own reading. Without that context, it would be hard to properly read the result. What’s “good” for one trip, such as time alone on a spiritual retreat, may not be great for another trip, such as a bachelorette party.
Let’s assume that the uncertain reader explains that they’re going away for a fun vacation overseas with a couple friends and they’re hoping to have a good time, maybe even enjoy a little vacation fling with someone they meet there.
Now that we at least have some context for the trip and what the person is looking to experience, we can consider some of the possibilities laid out with our 4 of Wands, 5 of Swords, 8 of Pentacles, High Priestess, and Page of Wands.
Scenario 1: Yes or No
For Scenario 1, let’s assume that the uncertain reader explains that they didn’t really have clear intentions about their reading and just pulled some cards because … that’s what so many people do! It’s maddening. Don’t do that. I’ll explain why that’s a terrible plan, and not just because you’re trying to read for someone else.
If this is a truly generic yes/no question, you can answer it with tarot, even if many professional tarot readers don’t like to do it. With five cards drawn, I personally would assume a majority-rules method of playing cards. It’s a simplistic method, but it’s a simplistic question. And there really aren’t any important stakes. (If the cards say it’s going to be a shitshow, are you really going to cancel your fun vacation with friends? Probably not.)
In this case, we have mostly “good” cards, so the answer is Yes. You might say that the High Priestess and the 8 of Pentacles are not “fun” cards, so it’s really more like a Maybe than a Yes, but this is a simplistic method. Don’t let nuisances like nuance bother you.
Scenario 2: A Sense of Some Questions
For Scenario 2, let’s assume that the uncertain reader explains that they had a sense of some questions they asked, but they didn’t have an intentional order to them. We’ll call that Scenario 2A. In Scenario 2B, the uncertain reader remembers the order of topics but not the wording of the questions. That’s less of a problem, but words are magic, so phrasing matters. And in Scenario 2C, we’ll have clear questions.
Scenario 2A: Question Chaos
Not being clear on which card goes with which question is not very helpful. The answer to one question shouldn’t be muddled with another.
If one of the questions you have is about the overall vibe of your trip, and the answer is 4 of Wands, that’s very different from the overall vibe being the 5 of Swords or the 8 of Pentacles or the High Priestess. In one case, there’s probably fun to be had. In another, interpersonal conflict. In the third, you’re probably going to either be partaking in local workshops (e.g., boutique candle-making) or having to check work emails. And in the fourth, you might find yourself having a real moment of personal revelation that is valuable but certainly not the fun you imagined, and you might not appreciate it, however important the experience is in the long run.
Scenario 2B: Vague Questions
Not remembering the wording of your questions is generally less of a problem than not having a set order of questions. But words are magic, so phrasing matters. And this is especially true if any of the questions was charged in some way.
Imagine that you asked, “What’s something I will remember from this trip?” and the answer is the 5 of Swords. That’s a neutral question, and the 5 of Swords is not usually great on the surface, so you might expect that there will be a memorable fight. It’ll be a whole thing, and it may leave you soured on the experience.
But if you asked, “What will be the highlight of this trip?” and the answer is the 5 of Swords, that’s a different situation. You’re not going to be soured on the experience since it’s the highlight of the trip. Maybe there’s a spectacular competition or powerful debate that you watch as a cultural event. Or, for those of us who enjoy a little less culture, maybe you’ll witness a savage smackdown that, while not the most uplifting social experience, reminds you what it means to be a living, breathing, flesh-and-blood human. Or maybe you see the Real Housewives being filmed and there’s an outrageous argument that has you and the rest of the restaurant captivated. Or maybe there’s an orgasmically good lightning storm. I don’t know your life or what counts as a vacation highlight for you.
Scenario 2C: Clear Questions
Ideally, if you’re pulling multiple cards, you know why you’re pulling them. They’re serving a function, and one of those functions is to answer separate distinct questions before providing an overall sense.
Imagine that our uncertain reader asked these specific questions and pulled these cards in response:
What can I expect from the trip as an overall experience? 4 of Wands
What’s something I should prepare for on this trip? 5 of Swords
What potential is there for a romantic fling? 8 of Pentacles
What’s something that I will definitely want to do on this trip? The High Priestess
How will my relationship with my friends be affected by this trip? Page of Wands
Looking at the spread overall, this is a pretty varied vacation. There are two Wands, so there’s fun and excitement, but it’s not just a full-out party the whole time. There will be highs and lows, moments of celebration and of silence. It’s a good mix.
Looking at the specific questions, though, we have a lot more information. The 4 of Wands confirms that this will generally be a fun time of celebrating with friends, as is the purpose. So I have an answer to that initial question of “Do you think it’ll be a good trip?” Generally speaking, it will probably be a good trip that meets the expectations you’ve set for it.
That said, there will be some important growth and exploration of the relationships. We have the Page of Wands suggesting the opportunity to have fun but also explore new terrain bravely. Considering that we also have the 5 of Swords as a warning, there will probably be some significant conflicts that, thankfully, have a resolution. The Page of Wands might decide to move on from those familiar friendships eventually, but they’re curious and open to new experiences, so it’s more likely that the friendships will evolve in some way.
(Note that, for me, this would probably have a spiritual or philosophical bent because of how I personally view the Page of Wands, but that’s not necessarily a “standard” approach or something that would apply to the uncertain reader. That’s up to their intuition and idiosyncracies of reading.)
The idea of a passionate romance with a stranger overseas seems like something to forget on this trip. The 8 of Pentacles tells us that it’s going to be hard work to make it happen, and that will probably make it feel like work, which is not the purpose of a fling. Doubling down on that, the High Priestess suggests that some moments alone and in reverence, maybe visiting a cathedral somewhere or enjoying some quiet meditations or journaling with your tarot cards will probably be a more satisfying and rewarding use of your time.
We could obviously go deeper into this reading, but without the context of intuitive hits and personal reading idiosyncrasies, there’s too much guesswork involved. But with all that context, it’s enough to say that it will probably be a good trip. If the uncertain reader didn’t feel that way, it would be worth finding out what is making them unsure.
Scenario 3: Sequence of Events
For Scenario 3, let’s assume that the uncertain reader explains that they were pulling five cards as a kind of sequence. In Scenario 3A, the sequence is just one thing after another. In Scenario 3B, the sequence focuses on the trip (the three middle cards) with a beginning phase and an ending phase.
Scenario 3A: One Thing after Another
In this scenario, the five cards represent a pure sequence of events, as you might see in some traditional forms of cartomancy, such as in Kipper, Lenormand, or playing card readings, as well as in tarot readings. Many readers who pull multiple cards and read intuitively will inherenly read sequentially left to right. It follows how many of us learned to read sentences, so it tracks that many of us would read cards that way.
With this series of events, I suspect that the trip starts off fun and celebratory as planned (4 of Wands), enters a rough patch as disagreements arise (5 of Swords), takes some work to repair the damage (8 of Pentacles), offers people the reason to strike out on their own for parts of the trip (High Priestess), which leads to interesting and exciting discoveries (Page of Wands).
In the context of the uncertain reader wanting this vacation to be fun, parts of it will be, but parts won’t be. The end result of the trip is good if not what was expected. And in terms of finding love (or lust) abroad, there may be the chance to spark a flirty connection by the end of the trip, but it probably doesn’t get very far beyond that initial phase. That may be just enough fun for the uncertain reader though! And if they were secretly looking for something more lasting, then there’s the chance that it’s the beginning of a longer journey.
(Side note: If you like this kind of reading and want to use it with Kipper, Lenormand, or playing card decks instead of tarot, you should check out my Seaborn Kipper collaboration with Siolo Thompson and the Life Line Lenoracle, which combines Lenormand with playing cards and with bigger-picture oracle cards in one deck.)
Scenario 3B: Beginning, Middle, and Ending
The uncertain reader might have instead planned that the first card was the initial mood going into the trip, the next three as the bulk of the trip itself, and the final card as the feeling at the end of the trip as they head out.
In this instance, the 4 of Wands feels more like an expectation than a reality. It’s the very beginning and it’s outside of the bulk of the trip, so it’s more like an aspiration. Everyone is ready to have a good time and maybe the plane trip is good, but then the reality of traveling with a group sets in and the rosy glow fades.
The bulk of the trip is characterized by the 5 of Swords, the 8 of Pentacles, and the High Priestess. None of these are cards that suggest fun group trip energy. There’s a fight that creates tension. Either it takes time and work to patch things up or, more likely given the other cards, people end up doing their own things. Everyone is focused on themselves and their passions, and they’re not willing to compromise given the lack of goodwill after the fight, so the group essentially disbands and everyone enjoys their own solitary vacation.
At the end of the trip, the Page of Wands suggests that the uncertain reader is excited to travel again, but they’re happy to do it alone now that they’ve had the experience of group travel.
As you can see, that’s a slightly different outlook compared to the other sequential reading, all because of how the cards were compartmentalized.
Scenario 4: Unclearing the Air
In Scenario 4, the uncertain reader pulled the 4 of Wands as the answer to their question about having a good time, yet somehow they weren’t confident in the response. (It’s literally a card of good times, but many readers don’t trust good news, just as many others are willfully blind to bad news.) So the reader drew another card just to be sure, and it was the 5 of Swords.
Can you imagine a more contradictory pair of responses? “It’ll be great! You’re going to have so much fun together!” “It’ll be terrible. You guys are going to fight the whole time.”
Assuming that both things couldn’t be true, the reader pulls another so-called clarifier. It’s the 8 of Pentacles. What the hell does that mean?
At this point, you just can’t help the reading. It’s a mess. What is the reader looking for at this point? What was the purpose of drawing a second card? Or a third one?
Even more uncertain and confused, the reader draws another one, and the High Priestess just stares silently back. To me, this is the deck saying, “I said what I said,” but some people can’t take a hint.
The reader draws one more card just to see if it will make sense, and it’s the Page of Wands, an explorer and adventurer. Again, to me, this is the deck saying, “You’re going on a trip to experience something new, kid. Let it be new. Make of it what you want to make of it.” But that’s not helpful to someone who so badly mistrusts their own intuition at this point.
Clarifiers are almost never helpful. If you pull a clarifier and it helped you make sense of the part of your reading that didn’t make sense, it’s probably because, consciously or unconsciously, you were asking a specific follow-up question.
But too often, people just pull cards in the hope that a little more information will make everything more certain. In reality, there are very few certainties. And if you don’t know why you’re pulling another card or what you’re hoping to get out of the card, you’ve created no new opportunity for clarity. Setting clear intentions is game-changing, as I discuss in my blog post, “Intention Setting in Divination.”
Scenario 5: Pray and Spray
All this talk of questions within questions and clarity and intentions may make some of you confident intuitive readers feel uncomfortable. You’ve honed your skills and you’re able to just throw cards on the table and read them however they land. There may not be a specific question or spread or intention behind each card. You might even be able to decide mid-pull whether you need more cards or not. Rock it.
What a confident intuitive reader is able to do and what this uncertain reader is able to do are worlds apart.
And there’s usually a method to the intuitive reader’s work, even if it’s not explicitly structured in the way. They have a full toolkit that allows them to notice patterns in the visuals as the cards have fallen or in the repetition of symbols or in the words that emerge or in their own ability to sense what is not even present in the cards. They just work with those tools … intuitively.
But our uncertain reader might have wanted to emulate that style of reading before they were confident in the skills. I applaud that. It’s good practice. And it’s necessary to do that kind of reading many times before a reader masters it.
Until then, the uncertain reader is just throwing cards around hoping they’ll make sense. As with words in a sentence, you can arrange them in multiple ways to create different meanings. But can you create multiple meanings to arrange in them different ways?
In Scenario 5, the uncertain reader is effectively throwing the words “celebrate,” “argument,” “perseverance,” “secret,” and “adventurous” in a pile hoping to make a sense. Could it be a message to Celebrate adventurous arguments through secret perseverance? Or maybe it’s a sign to Secretly celebrate adventurous arguments that persevere. Wait, what was the question?
The uncertain reader in this scenario was probably so overwhelmed by possibility that they ignored the intuitive messages they received—not just card meanings—for fear that they were making the messages up in their head.
But here’s the thing: it’s all made up in their head.
I don’t mean that tarot isn’t helpful or true or that it doesn’t have a history of meanings that are shared by large groups of people, but the meanings are made up. They aren’t beamed down from a single source of Truth, just as words aren’t beamed down from anywhere. They sprung up from within people. Someone somewhere made them up and many of us agree on what many of them mean, even if we can’t define them in any sensible way. That doesn’t make them less meaningful. It just means that they’ve become second nature.
We don’t wonder what “if” means in the context of a sentence. It’s only when you pull it out of context and try to define it that you start to wonder if it has meaning at all. And who came up with that combination of sounds and then letters to represent that thing?
In the same way, an experienced and confident reader doesn’t have to wonder what their cards mean within the context of their reading. Sometimes the High Priestess means secrecy. But sometimes it means intuition or meditation or inner peace. Sometimes the card means the Virgin Mary, and other times it means a mother, or a daughter, or an unconventional mentor, or a librarian. Sometimes the card means the moon and sometimes menstruation. None of these meanings is wrong, but none of them may be right for a particular reading.
It’s Not One-to-One Mapping
It’s hard to overstate the problem of trying to read other people’s readings. Every now and again, someone will ask you to try, and you’re welcome to offer your interpretations.
You could try to read their reading, using common meanings of cards and whatever context they’ve provided or your own intuitive gifts. But it will probably be more helpful to the uncertain reader in the long term to offer them ideas that they can then build on.
Here are examples of things that may help another reader make sense of their reading.
“A lot of those cards feel really heavy to me. Is that the sense you got too?”
“The King is often someone with a lot of maturity or experience in their area. Does that make you think of anyone?”
“Card A and Card B are both tied to Aquarius. Do you think there’s a connection to Aquarius or Aquarian things?”
“Oh, wow! There’s such a strong visual pattern between those three cards. They all have yellow crosses on them. Does that have meaning to you in this context?”
What’s not helpful is saying things like, “That card doesn’t mean that. It means this.” or “You got this card, so it’s definitely going to be this way.”
Many people overestimate the importance of the core meanings of a card, the handful of ideas that readers across the globe will identify when asked what a card means. (Plenty of skilled readers also underestimate the importance of shared meanings, but that’s a topic for a different day.) There are many ways to interpret a single card, just as there are many ways that different cards can answer the same question accurately.
I sometimes hear from tarot skeptics who say things like, “If tarot’s real, then you should get the same card to the same question I ask every time, but that doesn’t happen.”
First, every experienced tarot reader I know has several stories where that has happened, sometimes more than once.
Second, that’s an incredibly dumb way of thinking about tarot. It’s also not surprising to hear that kind of thing from people who have very simple thought patterns. Often, they’ve been taught to believe in monolithic truth. And that truth has usually been handed down by one person to whom they have decided to relinquish control, typically a man. If you ask them the color of the sky, they will say, “Blue,” or “Green,” or “Potato,” or whatever they’ve been taught is the infallible truth.
But for those of us with critical thinking skills and nuanced experiences of the world and shifting ideas, we may answer the question with “Blue.” But we also answer with “Cerulean,” or “Sky blue,” or “Azure,” or “Clear,” and these will be just as accurate an answer to the question.
Tarot is not the world of 1984, where one word (card) has one meaning and one idea has one expression (card). There’s overlap and wiggle room, and that makes things messy. But it also gives your intuition an opportunity to speak to you.
Are you willing to listen?
DID YOU LEARN SOMETHING?
If so, you may love my self-paced intensive fundamentals course for new and experienced tarot readers, Read Tarot like a Nerd. And check out my current and upcoming semester of courses for tarot readers who want to move beyond the basics.