Lesson 8 -- Sample Reading

The last two cards weren't scanned in the order in which I drew them. I get easily confused when I scan a spread, I always get something turned around.

Alyssa asks: Will my relationship get stronger or fall apart. I’m not sure about the relationship being strong enough, although I do care for him.

The problem with this question is that the woman asking it doesn’t own the problem she’s asking about. She wants to know what’s going to happen. I consider it my job to empower her. Instead of asking the tarot what’s going to happen, I ask the tarot how she can improve the situation. I start by breaking down her question. I try to get as specific as possible.

What can Alyssa do to strengthen this relationship? Five of Cups

Look at the image on this card. The person on this card is grieving a loss. How does sadness figure into their relationship? Ask some questions. Is she grieving something? Is her lover grieving? Is she depressed? Is she addicted to drama? Does she create drama where it doesn’t exist? Does she know a relationship doesn’t have to be filled with pain? She may not know this. A lot of people don’t. If she clings to her pain, guilt, grief, and sense of loss she may not be giving herself an opportunity to enjoy life and love. This isn’t something she does on purpose, she may just not know better. I would probably draw a clarification card on this and ask the source of this pain.

What does Alyssa do that weakens this relationship? King of Rods

The King of Rods is an intensely enthusiastic individual. He can be kind of pushy, but only because he’s trying so hard to help those around him. He likes being involved, he’s very social. Alyssa is not a he, but this card could easily apply to her if her personality is very strong. So, the question is, does this card show what she does or what she doesn’t do. It’s such a positive card, I feel like this card isn’t showing her being overbearing but, rather, I think it’s showing what she’s not doing in the relationship. Perhaps she snubs the social stuff, doesn’t give into her passions much, and isn’t terribly supportive when it comes to work as well her man’s outside interests. Some questions I might ask Alyssa at this point is how she feels about his hobbies, his work, and his social connections. Is she jealous of them or does she support them? Does she try to get involved, or, at the very least, try and stay out of the way of her lover’s interest in these things?

But here is something else to consider. In the Hanson Roberts Tarot, this King looks rather sad. So, when you are doing a reading, listen to your intuition and consider what strikes you more powerfully about a card. Is it the emotion you see on the card? Or is it what you’ve learned about the card that comes to your mind? If you are more compelled by the figure of the King on this card who is looking down at the cups spilled over on the Five of Cups, well, this could open a whole new avenue of understand in this reading. Why does the King care about those cups? And how does this weaken the relationship? Because this really doesn’t take me anywhere, I don’t feel that it’s really pertinent, but it is something to be aware of. Sometimes something that just seems interesting at first, but doesn’t seem to apply, may have some meaning further into the reading. And I do feel, very strongly, that the King really is looking down at those tumbled cups.

If Alyssa does everything in her power to strengthen this relationship, what might the relationship be like in three months? Four of Cups.

Another Cups card!! This is a good sign that the tarot is working with me on this reading. Cups represent emotions and Alyssa is asking about love. Sometimes a card may not have any particular meaning except as validation that the reading is in sync with the question or with the person herself. In this case, I feel that even if Alyssa and her lover somehow manage to salvage their relationship that it still won’t be enough. The figure on the Four of Cups is surrounded by Cups and another is being offered to her, but it’s no good. It’s not what she wants. She is still sad.

If this relationship is still going in three months, what will Alyssa’s emotional state be like? Death

Notice that a man, woman, and child lie dead at the bottom of this card. The way I see this is that the couple is together, but there is no life in their togetherness. This card doesn’t hint that this relationship is going anywhere at all. At least not based on the current state of their relationship. This doesn’t mean that the relationship could never be successful, but things may have to be drastically different for the relationship to thrive.

What might Alyssa’s emotional state be like in three months if she backs out of this relationship right now? Nine of Pentacles

This is a very clear sign to me that Alyssa could be quite happy without this man in her life. The Nine of Pentacles depicts a lady of leisure. She is surrounded by beauty. She is alone but content. Her life is very very good.