euripides Posted June 6, 2022 Posted June 6, 2022 Natalea mentioned wanting to move past individual meanings to pull a reading together, so I thought it might be nice to have a new thread around that. Certainly using spreads can be a really good starting place, but layered over that I think is the way we think about various aspects of the card images (assuming RWS here), whether deliberately or intuitively. Sometimes - depending on the deck - I focus on the figures in the cards and imagine them having a conversation, or just looking at their expression and bodily position wonder what might be going on between them - perhaps they are in disagreement or concord? Sometimes there is a sequence, and sometimes they seem to occupy the same space. I particularly like borderless decks for this. Pamela Colman Smith's images have that delightful 'stage' setting that can also lend itself to a theatrical scene/play sort of cohesion. I find sometimes I notice details that connect between cards, colors, animals, books or other objects. Directions of things like swords and staves can also provide linkage.
RunningWild Posted June 6, 2022 Posted June 6, 2022 I think the story telling aspect comes with practice. I know that once I finally felt confident enough with the individual card meanings that I started seeing the narrative. In my case, it helped to say it out loud. I do think spreads can help develop the story lines, too.
Natalea Posted June 6, 2022 Posted June 6, 2022 Thank you Euripides! I feel RunningWild is right, and I needed to feel a bit more confident about the cards themselves, and so maybe focused too much on the individual cards instead of the bigger picture. I'm slowly getting better at it, though sometimes end up more confused! The stage setting idea helps, now they're acting it out somewhat 🤔
DanielJUK Posted June 6, 2022 Posted June 6, 2022 To look between the cards, I think people use various methods.... - Look at the visuals, read the story in the images. Perhaps a symbol moves between the cards. Some people work with this by making a movie like story, in card 1 this happened which progressed to card 2 and then card 3 was the completion. Can you make a plot or story from it? - Slightly different from the previous method, use analysis, compare and contrast the cards. What are the differences? what are the similarities? Not just in the pictures but in the ideas and known meanings for the cards. The core of each card. Does it reinforce the message or make a whole different message? - Some people take each card quite separately and just have it as multiple (separate) ideas of the message or outcome. I tend to use all 3 methods but mostly the middle compare and contrast idea about the cards 🙂 It's not easy to use combinations and put the cards together, this improves with experience and use. It's something you really learn as you go
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