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The Butterfly Throne Method

Part Three: Reading a Card

Tarot reading starts with learning to read a single card.

Now, you might remember from part 1 that we don't need the book for this. If you know the traditional meaning, file that away, but if not, don't worry about it! The traditional meaning is just one of the things you can find in a card, and there are so, so many other things that can pop out. So, just be prepared to encounter the card as if for the first time.

Clear your mind however works for you. Try and look at the card with fresh eyes.

Ask yourself some questions about the card:

What is happening in this image?
Who are the figures in the card?
What are the figures doing?
How do they seem to feel about the scene?
What details jump out at you?
What do those details mean to you?

Using these questions, you can start to arrive at a meaning.

Remember, these answers won't be the same every time you look at the card! Looking at the card with fresh eyes means accepting new interpretations that surface in your heart.

There are no wrong answers, by the way. If a scene is "supposed" to be lighthearted but you see a figure in the card as sad, or see a symbol that you associate with pain, go with your heart! Let your eyes and your heart determine what the card is trying to say in this moment.

Want to try? Let's take a look at one of my cards: Strength.

Right now, as you are in the present instant, answer those six questions about this card.

When you do, what meaning do you find in the card right now? If you look at my description of the card, did your meaning end up close to mine? Very different?

Congratulations! You're a tarot reader.