Interpreting the cards can be overwhelming to a student that is new to the Tarot. We are going to take a look at one way to interpret a three-card reading, using the Past/Present/Future format. The deck used was the Morgan-Greer Tarot.
The question for this reading is: “What do I need to know about my current job?”
The cards drawn were:
Past: Eight of Cups
Present: Queen of Swords
Future: Five of Wands
Eight of Cups - Queen of Swords - Five of Wands
The first thing that you want to do is to note your overall impression: What impressed me was that the card of the past faced the card of the present – there was a very free flow between the cards. The card of the present represented very strong, present oriented energy (the figure looks out directly at the Seeker). The card of the future shows a definite clash of wills.
Taking the cards in turn, the things that I noted on the Eight of Cups were the figure in the red cloak (the red attracted my attention), and the yellow cups (the yellow attracted my attention. The next thing that I noted was the river flowing in the background. I get a sense of peace with this card.
The determined look on the face of the Queen of Swords was attention getting for me, as well as the sword that she holds, point up, in front of her. I also noted her dark hair, and the red roses. My feeling about this card was that this was a woman with a sense of purpose – not someone that you would want to cross.
In the Five of Wands I was attracted first to the wands themselves, and then to the five hands that are holding them. There are five different hands here, so this is a disagreement between a group of people. My sense here is that of someone watching their own backs very closely.
Some of the questions that we might want to ask ourselves when interpreting a card are:
- What is my initial impression?
- What colors attract me?
- What figures in the card attract me?
- What are the figures in the card doing?
- What in the background, or environment, attracts my attention?
- How do I feel about this card?
Now you want to relate the card to its position meaning.
The Eight of Cups in the position of the past indicates a pulling back, as well as a spiritual quest. There is a lot of soul searching going on, and it can be a very emotional time. In relation to what the Seeker needs to know about their current job, we could say that they were led there after going through a time of introspection, of defining what was important for them, and what recognizing what they needed from their work.
The Queen of Swords in the present tells us that the Seeker is very much in the present. She speaks for herself, as well as for others. The Seeker is intelligent, very self reliant, and has the ability to see through to the truth. The Seeker is very professional in how they do their job, and sees their job environment with great clarity.
The Five of Wands in the future indicates that there will be a very sharp exchange of ideas. The Seeker will be confronting certain obstacles, and will be defending her goals with fiery passion. This will be quite a competitive time, and a time when the Seeker may be dealing with committees of people, rather than several different people one on one.
What the Seeker needs to know about their current job is that they are there because they consciously choose it as part of their career path. They have a very good handle on day to day job related issues, and are well prepared for the future (more than likely near future) time when they will need to face certain obstacles that stand in the way of their achieving their career goals. They also need to be aware that they will be dealing with groups or committees of people, but that they are well prepared to handle this.
Having a Pip (numbered card) in any position means that things can be tweaked by the Seeker. In this instance, I do not feel that this will be necessary. The Seeker is very skilled and knowledgeable in their career field, very good at both communicating and standing up for themselves (see the double edged sword that the Queen of Swords hold in front of her), and will deal with this future time period as something that they see coming, and not as something that comes upon them as a surprise.
Always remember that it is up to you as the reader to interpret the cards through your own lens of perception!
© June 2009