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The Complexities and Simplicities of Tarot
Tarot is such a multi-dimensional art form. It’s sometimes hard to remember that it also answers point-blank questions in the form of “Yes” or “No.”
True, there are layers of complexity and conditions couched in every simple Yes or No answer, but there are ways to tease them out!
So, let’s peek at the method and madness needed to get to the bottom line of any issue or possibility.
How to Do a Yes/No Tarot Card Reading
First, we need to have a clear understanding of our own reactions to a specific Tarot card. When a question reaches the mind of any Tarot reader, the answer pops out in images that we all understand in a unique and personal way.
And, when reading for someone else, there are some fundamental things to keep in mind before we start.
Who is Asking?
- What is the client’s general “feel,” their worldview?
- How do they see life, and themselves?
- What are their key beliefs and values?
It’s useful to pull a few cards initially, just to get the feel of the person and situation. This makes it easier to interpret the cards’ message and get the specific answers they need.
What Are They Really Asking?
I think of this as “the question behind the question.” It’s like a shy child that hides at the back of their initial question more times than not.
Sometimes clients ask, “Will I be moving?” When what they really mean is:
- Will I be moving in with her or him?
- Will I get that job I’ve been thinking about in another city?
- Will I find the perfect house if I look out of town?
Or, on the flip side, “Am I going to get evicted?”
That would rate a “Yes, you will move” answer, but it changes the nature of the question. So, it’s super important to intuit the deepest part of the question because that leads us to the answer the cards hold.
Which Tarot Cards Mean Yes?
Here’s where we need to fine-tune our judgment to get an accurate reading.
“Happy” cards, like the Four of Wands, the Ace of Wands, the Sun, the Wheel of Fortune, the World, and the Six of Cups, show that good stuff surrounds the situation.
On the other hand, the Chariot contains a condition. It tells us that progress will be made if we use plenty of concentration and effort.
The High Priestess tells us that wisdom must be employed first, then success will follow.
The Star card says that our deepest wish will come true if we hold on to our vision of the highest good.
Cards belonging to the Major Arcana carry more weight in deciding Yes or No and should get more of our attention as we interpret the spread. They tend to show lasting situations, while the lower numbered Minor Arcana cards show transitory events along the way to Yes or No.
Which Tarot Cards Mean No?
Some cards are strongly cautionary and say to proceed slowly, if at all.
For example, the Three of Swords shows terrible heartbreak. The Five of Pentacles means poverty and hardship. The Two of Swords says there is very little that we can do in the situation right now. The Eight of Cups shows a difficult departure and a journey to seek new opportunities.
However, some “scary” seeming cards like Death or the Tower can frequently mean drastic transformation or shocking change that will ultimately spin out as something better later on.
Reversed cards tend to indicate a No, or at the very least, a delay. But it’s important to read the spread as a whole to decide which it is. Sometimes it just means that it will happen on a slower timetable with a few obstacles to overcome along the way.
The Yes/No Tarot Spread
Jasmine feels confused because he so obviously loves her and includes her in all aspects of his life, but after several years he hasn’t popped the question. Here’s the spread that ferreted out the answer.
The Question: Will We Get Married?
This four-card spread tells us:
Card One– The energy of the relationship
Card Two– What your partner feels about you
Card Three– Could it go the distance?
Card Four– Will you actually get married?
Her spread was full of Yes cards, the Sun, (meaning warmth) the Ace of Cups, (meaning it’s a big love) the Ten of Pentacles, (meaning longevity).
But, the Ten of Cups, considered the ultimate marriage indicator, is reversed.
Here, her partner’s overwhelmingly positive emotion toward her shows that they will ultimately get married. And they did!
The reversal meant, “It will just take longer.” (It did).
If the first three cards had been the Three of Swords, the Devil, and the Nine of Swords, the final card’s reversal would mean something very different. Like “No, and please don’t even think about it!”
Which Tarot Cards Mean Maybe, or, Ask Again?
Cards showing confusion like the Seven of Cups, the Two of Wands, or the Eight of Swords, show that it’s not really time to decide Yes or No. Their imagery shows confusion, or that you currently have no freedom to act.
How to Clarify Timing
Some cards indicate delay. The Four of Swords signals “time-out.” It could feel like the relationship is cooling or even heading for a temporary separation.
Another card, the Hanged Man in the Major Arcana, tells us to flow with the timing of the Universe and just let go of the reins. If we do, all will work out for the best!
The four Tarot suits: pentacles, cups, wands, and swords, are associated with astrological triplicities. They can help to clarify timing through their association with the seasons of the year.
In timing questions, a card of the pentacle suit indicates that the event will happen when the sun is in Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorn. The seasonal backdrop of the image will help to indicate which part of the calendar (spring, fall, or winter).
A card belonging to the suit of cups would point to a period when Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces is ruling the year. Or, a sword card would indicate Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius, and a card from the suit of wands, an Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius month.
It’s important to read all Minor Arcana cards in context with each other because they fine-tune our answer, both by how high or low their numbers are and by the qualities they represent.
Court cards can mean a specific third party who will be instrumental in making something happen. But, again, is that person a King, Queen, or a Page? It could determine their power to influence the situation.
So, factoring everything the cards show together in a reading will ultimately make a Yes or No answer perfectly clear!
Yes, No, Maybe So?
Check the list below for the Yes or No meaning of each Tarot card. And click the links for each card if you’d like to know more about their meanings in a love and relationship reading, a career or finances reading, and what they mean in the past, present, or future position.