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The Butterfly Throne Method

Part Four: Cards in Conversation

So you've already learned to trust your Inner References, pick your perfect deck, and read a single card. Of course, most tarot readings are more than one card - they're cards in conversation, cards talking to each other and to you to create a full picture! So, how do you understand what the cards say when there are more than one in front of you?

Let's not worry about spreads for now. Let's talk about spreads next time. First, let's just talk about looking at two cards side by side so you can see what I mean about conversation.

Start by looking at two cards side by side. Let's pick The Emperor and The Sun from Leon's Tarot!

The first thing you do is read the cards individually. What is the Emperor saying to you right now? What is the Sun saying to you right now? Remember, your interpretation of the cards is part of the present moment, and isn't set in stone, so relax and let your present self feel it.

Now, look at the two cards side by side. Time to ask more questions, this time about the cards together.

What is happening in this image?
What do the cards have in common?
How are the two images different?
Do the figures in the cards seem like the same person? Different people?
Do the cards take place at the same time? In sequence?
What do those links mean to you?

Again, I tend to use auditory metaphors because I think in full sentences, so language is just how my brain comprehends things. Your intuition may be completely different from mine!

But however you imagine it, you can see the way the cards are in a back and forth now, the way they both inform one another's meaning. You may even end up re-evaluating your initial reading now that the cards have cast new light on one another!

This is the building block of a tarot reading. You could pick any number of cards and carry out this process without a spread and come to a great reading! But the next article will focus on reading in a spread, in a more classic style!