Tarot reading #1

Not my first reading of the day, but the one I’d like to share first! i was flying today, and something about the mood above the clouds felt very otherworldly and special. I was drawn to do some readings, so i pulled out my cards! for those new to tarot, Tarot cards are a deck of various cards with pictures and symbols! Each card has a name assigned to a meaning, and there is only one of each card in a certain deck. Depending on the intention of the reading, the specific assortment of the cards, or sometimes the orientation (up or down) of the card, the card could have different meanings! even further, tarot is a lot about your own personal take on the reading, so if you think a card means one thing and someone else thinks it means something else, you probably both are still correct. There are 3 kinds of cards… Minor Arcana suit cards, ie swords, cups, wands, and pentacles, Minor Arcana Royal cards, ie page knight queen king of respective suit, and Major Arcana cards, ie named cards such as The Tower, The Sun and The Fool.

With that intro out of the way, I’ll describe the spread i was doing. (a spread is the term for the specific arrangement of cards, often assigned to a specific type of question for clarity. in a spread, cards are dealt out to different positions, acting as jobs so-to-speak. for example, drawing the Fool in a position meaning “external forces” will mean something different from drawing the fool in a position meaning “hopes and dreams”). The specific spread I was using was a relationship/bond spread. It consisted of place 1, the person of interest (often the one doing the reading), place 2, the person of interest’s baggage, traits, strengths, or the like, place 3, the other person, place 4, the other person’s baggage and etc. Finally, place 5, between 4 and 1, dictates the overall relationship of the two people in past/present/future. You can probably tell that there is a lot of ambiguity, and thats part of the magic of tarot!

The reading I got was:

Place 1(me): The Fool

Place 2(my baggage): King of Cups

Place 3(the other person): Temperance

Place 4(other person’s baggage): King of Swords

Place 5(overall relationship): 3 of Swords

Btw there wasnt any person in mind specifically, just anyone close to me in general. Possible people I suspect: my friend that I’m doing the reading with, My crush(?), idk someone else

My thoughts on this reading:

ironically, I am the fool, symbolizing new beginings and blundering. Temperance would usually be me in this situation, as that for the specific deck I used I have a special relationship with it. It was the first card I drew, and in most readings means me. Oddly enough, putting me in the unknowing person’s shoes and the other in temperance already makes this reading stand out to me. Next is the king of cups, symbolizing emotional power, altruism, and loyalty. Royals are often symbolizing people, and I interperated this as an extention of me. I view myself and have been described by others as charismatic, confident, and emotionally perceptive, which leads me to believe this meant me. However, paired with the fool, this card is almost an opposite.. a real headscratcher. Temperance on the otherhand, for the first time signified someone else. Temperance is also known as Balance, and means a need or a drive to find peace or calm. It is a powerful card, driving from inner strength and a moral compass yet in a more gentle manner than Justice for example. This is paired with the King of Swords. The Swords suit is anything but gentle; I find that swords often signify instability and strife, conflict and heavy emotions, or darkness and doubt. The King of Swords is the epitome of this: Authority, Intelligence, coldness, Truth. It is about the harsh realities and someone who lives fierce and bright. Not necessarily in a dark context, but a very contrasted energy to the calming Temperance. Finally, the 3 of Swords spells heartbreak, specifically in the sense of sorrow or grief. When I see this, i think that the relationship between me and this person has been shaky, with disappointment and some falling-outs. However, and important thing to note of the 3 of Swords is the ability to grow new life/happiness afterword in some cases. Although it is a heavy and anxiety-inducing card like the rest of the swords, it definitely is not the worst sword card to see. Overall, a confusing read, describing a disconnect to me. I saw it as me, despite being usually knowledged, out of my element and in such the Fool. The other person was more well versed or experienced in the subject of interest, thus temperance, yet had conflicting nature or an external driving force that was a catalyst of our conflict. Overall we had hardship, but due to the nature of the Fool and the forgiveness of Temperance, the relationship was not set in stone and could still become something new. That was my take at the time, atleast.

Her take: 

“ mmm,, maybe this particular person has been bothered by your plethora of knowledge for a while (not deeply…more of just, like, an annoyance thing), yet still trusts you with almost all they have. maybe in the moment, you stop and take mind over heart, logistics over emotion, and this disappoints the person, ultimately prompting them to cut contact or think of you differently…thus, leaving you in the position of the fool and the explanation of the heartbreak implied with the three of swords. as for temperance, it may have taken a while for this person to get used to your way of talking, as it can be seen as mildly pretentious at best and plain annoying at worse. (sorry, being brutally honest here. i don’t like people that art smarter than me !!! kidding, i really like the way you talk, it’s like reading a story. very rhythmic. but anyway i’m getting side-tracked) this could also be taken as you having to get used to their more childish sense of humor, as it tends to annoy you when you’re not in the right headspace. the father of cups could represent how you are when you’re in your true state. cool, diplomatic, charming, always knows what to say. this could also represent the friendship you and the person presented share. balance of emotion. the father of swords is tricky. it could be someone in the person’s life that never quite liked you or it could be the person themself. authority, truth, more bold and brutal than the king of cups (i like the way king sounds better, ehe) yet still the beholder of much wisdom. this could be where your qualms arise, as you’re both intelligent, just in different ways.”

(father reffers to king, as my specific deck has some names altered)

I really like her explaination too, and it helped me think about it in a different way. Overall, nice! I hope it was interesting for you guys, and if anyone has thoughts feel free to make a comment!