Avoiding Fixations When Reading Tarot Cards: Part One
One of the reasons why seasoned tarot readers don’t recommend that beginners read for themselves is because of the pitfall of becoming fixated on certain cards. For example, if you own a copy of my book Tarot Cassy’s Way, which is just the beginning in a series of teaching tools, you may read that some tarot readers view the combination of “Death” and the “Ten of Swords” as a portent that someone close to the seeker may undergo a physical death. What can then happen is that every time the beginner comes across these two cards in a spread, they will fixate on the worst-case-scenario meaning, fear will set in, and they will become panicked about this card combination. They may even begin to employ subconscious behaviors during a shuffle to avoid those cards altogether.
In future projects, I will be offering suggestions that will outline these concepts more thoroughly, but for now, let’s take a look at some simple concepts. First, let me start by saying that the Death/Ten of Swords combination does not always mean death. And there are many guidelines to consider before deciding that the above-mentioned combination may in fact mean death. First, the question is the key. If the seeker poses a career question, and the reader chooses a spread in which the Death card appears in the “Upcoming Event” position, and the Ten of Swords appears in the “Obstacle” position, this may mean that the seeker may be experiencing some drastic changes at their current job that will force them to move on into a new career opportunity. Bear in mind that Death is a card of transitions and permanent change. The number Ten is the number of completion, the end of a cycle, which always means that the beginning of a new cycle is imminent. The Ten of Swords, or “the stabbed in the back” card, may also imply that the seeker has events ongoing at their current job that is not in their best interest, anyway. Co-workers may be undermining their position. If the “throw” is what I call a cold reading, with no question posed, the Death/Ten of Swords combination may have an altogether different meaning.
Secondly, consider the type of spread, or the arrangement/layout of the cards. The bigger the spread, the more you must consider the positioning of the cards and the surrounding cards before you leap into the abyss of assuming death is on the horizon. Where do these two cards fall in the spread? What is the proximity of the two cards? You may also want to lay out some clarifying cards, alongside the Death card or the Ten of Swords. This can help alleviate any worries or concerns. But, mainly, keep the interpretation of the spread pertinent to the question posed. This will go a long way in helping you read the spread accurately. The meanings in books are there as a guideline only. The key is listening to your own intuition and keeping the meanings in context with the question asked. This is why there are so many variations of meanings in tarot card books. Because the meaning is governed by the question posed and the spread used.
I will continue this discussion in Part Two of Avoiding Fixations When Reading Tarot Cards.
Copyright 2009 Cassy LeBedz
For a reading, or to purchase Cassy’s Oracle Coins, visit www.cassystarot.com
