Tarot Talk & Technique

So I wonder if anyone else experiences this, I have the general meanings of the tarot card meanings, and can apply that knowledge in my message. I have found though at times, and this can be a strange phenomenon if you’ve ever experienced it, that a story of sorts about the symbols or figures within the card will spring to mind about what that figure is about to do once it’s no longer stationary, like a cinematic that helps me know what message my cards are trying to give to the person I’m giving the reading too.

This topic emerged from a recent reading in DotW. In my observation ... the cards are usually right ... but we readers can get it wrong due to 3 "occupational hazards" which I call: Bleedthrough Different / wrong Question Irrelevant Question **Edit added in March 2026** Wrong spread or wrong deck [commentary in my journal] I'll share my thoughts how I deal [or fail] with these. Curious to hear YOUR experiences and tips how you deal with it. Bleedthrough: I was just about to lay cards when my partner started talking to me. It interrupted my flow. I spoke with him awhile .... and then got back to it [so I thought]. Yet…

Just putting this out here to our American friends who may be interested. I source most of the decks I import from there, and maybe I'll join the melee. Also, (Advanced) Happy Thanksgiving! ;D

This past weekend I had a young woman email me to my personal email her story of being stalked & harassed. She requested a tarot reading on the matter and I did one for her. Has this reading situation of having a sitter that is being stalked or in danger ever happened to you? How did you frame the reading? What kind of advice did you give the querant? Have you ever turned down someone in trouble like this? What made you take on a sitter's request like this in the first place? As I was told by the moderators of this site, I can't give out more details to my reading because the reading I did wasn't on the TT&M website. Lo…

- so lets say you have the two of cups; empress and king of cups. How would you connect the dots to make a story as i really sturggle when theirs a male and female energy present and a minor in between. Blessings )o( Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

I've got a deck I like, but can't use—the White & Saunders Tarot—because the cards cling together when I try to shuffle them. The plastic coating acts too much like cling film. Is there anything I could 'dust' them with that might release them for shuffling? Anybody else experience this issue?

When you first begin your tarot journey, do you memorize card meanings? If you do memorize card meanings, what are some tips you can give me as to how to memorize the meanings of the more difficult cards. The Court Cards. The Aces, etc.

Hey all! I'm fairly new to tarot, and I just got a really pretty deck. I did a six-card deck introduction spread, and for the first position, "What is your most important characteristic?" I got the 5oP. I'm honestly baffled. Is the deck wounded somehow? Does it need my charity? Is it offering me charity that I need? Or am I missing something? For context, spread is 5oP AoW NoC 5oC XXI QoC Any advice is appreciated!

TLDR: I bought a 12-month reading for 60+ bucks, and while it was "long", you could tell the reader just copy/pasted tarot meanings from her personal master list. A year later, I ordered a second product from her and this time she got my name wrong on it LOL (not misspelled, but literally a stranger's name was on it, although the Solar Arc was definitely mine). If you don't have time to read the whole story, feel free to skip the quoted bit and jump straight to my questions. I'm curious: What are your thoughts on this? Do you think what she's doing is okay? Is this common practice? Sorry that was long! Am I right to be di…

I am always afraid to say anything but if the signs keep coming up I will sometimes mention possibly involvement with other people of the opposite sex or flirting but never put it so bluntly ever...more literal and upfront though if they ask about it or mention it in particular. I will only mention anything if I am very certain and I keep getting this feeling from them..So what do you do...? On one hand I feel it's wrong to say nothing when you see something like this...on the other what if I'm wrong and I have them paranoid for no reason; it's a really tricky situation to navigate. :(

do you know this deck?Thank you

Hi All! I have a lot of concerns with my Rider-Waite Tarot deck. I am currently performing a tarot reading to give spiritual advice to my boyfriend's family which have financial concerns, and while I read it I started to feel extremely uncomfortable, stressed, and tearful. For a backstory, his family is divorced and his Mom's side has been in debt and hasn't paid rent in 5 weeks, therefore cannot hold her own and needs many support from her brothers and other family members. I was trying to look into it and I had started to feel extremely stressful emotions, I was pretty shocked because my boyfriend told me she had been very stressed and tearful about her debt, she …

Do you have a certain ritual that you use the cards for with sitters? For example, before the reading starts, I will get a vibe off my sitter and will pick out an "indicator card" or a personality card like on the court cards. Like my sitter today I chose the Queen of Cups for her as she (I felt) was very expressive in her emotions. After the shuffling and cutting process, I had her insert that card into the deck and then after that is done, I'll ask them if they want the "top or bottom card" on top or underneath the Indicator card, then after three cards are chosen in this manner, I'll do the reading. That's what I mean by "ritual". I didn't learn…

I hope this is the right person to ask this question. I did a search, but didn't see anything. What is considered the archetype for Ten of Wands?

Happy upcoming New Year, TT&M family! 🥰 I am currently on pain medication for some major medical events that have transpired in my life recently, but today I had a fulfilling reading experience. However, reading while not-quite-sober is a jarring experience for me. I am someone who loves to feel in control, so though I am pretty lucid today, the fact that I am dizzy and experiencing some side effects of the medicine has my mind racing a bit when I am reading. How do you manage the responsibility of a reading alongside being sober, or not-sober? I am just curious to hear about others' experiences and thoughts on this topic. No judgment whatso…

I did self enquery with the question: "What is my fate?" Temperance King of Swords King of Wands Does this mean I will be a blend of these two attributes? I have tough time understanding what it means. For the record, I have zero confidence and self esteem, a coward in other words. But I am "clever" or intellectually focused if that is anyway related.

Do you use spread cloths when you lay out your cards? If so- what kind of cloths do you use? Do you make them yourself? Purchase them? Use scarves or other pieces of fabric you happen to have around? I am wanting another spread cloth or two, so am curious what others use. I have one altar cloth/tarot cloth with a depiction of the Horned God that I use that is beautiful and very well made. Other than that I tend to just use scarves that I think are pretty. I don't always use cloths when I lay out my cards though, especially if I'm just doing a simple reading for myself.

Hello everyone! I am new to the forums and a beginner in tarot reading. While there are a lot of resources on how to read specific tarot cards, what bugs me the most is: how can I work with my own intuition? I am not an intuitive person. So when i do readings either my mind (what I know makes sense) or my heart (what I would like it to be) get in the way. Is there any advice on how to identify the voice of your intuition and give it more space? Thanks everybody!

Hi everyone l have just retrieved my Robin Wood tarot from the depths of a cupboard. Its lovely meeting up with it again and our old friendship is still intact with all the energies l knew and loved. Problem is, try as l might l cannot find the book, and l am gutted it had such lovely meanings for the plants and flowers. This is where l need your help please. Can you relay the meanings of the following l would be so grateful. Here goes: Blossom tree in 4 Swords Flowers in 1 Pentacles Flowers on Hierophants robe Flowers on 2 Wands Tabard Iris Ivy White/Red Roses With grateful thanks in advance <3 <3 <3

All #22Faves have been moved to Card Favorites to reduce clutter! (And upon request!) [iurl=https://www.thetarotforum.com/index.php?topic=886.0]https://www.thetarotforum.com/index.php?topic=886.0[/iurl]

I've been under a rock and am just getting this one. What in the world do you call the cardstock? I'm impressed by the deck, the presentation, the companion digest...but my mind keeps whispering, is it rubber? haven't shuffled it yet, I'm still checking all the cards are here. thanks!

I just had the most hilarious realization and it confirmed what I was fairly sure the card represented in this reading. Queen of Cups (Wife?) clarified by 5 of Wands (Struggle/conflict) Cockney rhyming slang: “Trouble and Strife” = “Wife”. And there we have it, haha! I also had 5 of Pents once to represent a dysfunctional time clock.

Has anybody else attempted this? I'm very slowly working through this deck. The card stock is actually quite good, about the same thickness as LS decks, maybe a little thicker. The cards are a bit square-er than usual tarot cards, more of an oracle deck shape. I'm using colour schemes for the minor cards, but the majors I will colour probably more like RWS, as I suspect the colour choices were quite intentional. I'm using coloured pencils, but I think with a very light hand this card stock would possibly handle watercolour too. So far I've completed seven cards - the Pages, and three of the Tens. I'm studying each card in the order presented in 'Around the Tarot in 78 …

Hi :-) I've seen mentioned something about soul card in tarot. Does anyone knows what that is - and if it's important?

This video made me sad. I really don't like this current trend in the tarot community where creators are having a harder and harder time to support themselves, partly because of AI and also because of the way big companies such as Amazon run their business. If you are able to, show creators some extra love and buy directly from them. Watch the video below if you want to know how to help Ethony out. I don't think it is the least bit strange that she needs to start charging for her moon guides. I have been sharing her moon spreads a lot in the lunar reading circles over the years, so I went ahead and bought a copy. If you want to do the same, you …