LOVE TAROT FOR BEGINNERS
Romantic Interpretations for Every Card in the Tarot Deck
Jhone Daniels
© 2017 Jhone Daniels. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying form without written permission of the author.
Disclaimer: The information in this book is to be enjoyed as entertainment only. Nothing expressed here should be taken as medical, psychological, legal or monetary advice.
Dedicated to Eric, the King of My Particular Everything
Table of Contents
Introduction
Major Arcana
00: The Fool
01: The Magician
02: The High Priestess
03: The Empress
04: The Emperor
05: The Hierophant
06: The Lovers
07: The Chariot
08: Strength
09: The Hermit
10: The Wheel of Fortune
11: Justice
12: The Hanged Man
13: Death
14: Temperance
15: The Devil
16: The Tower
17: The Star
18: The Moon
19: The Sun
20: Judgment
21: The World
Minor Arcana
Wands
Ace– Three
Four-Seven
Eight-Ten
Court Cards
Cups
Ace– Three
Four-Seven
Eight-Ten
Court Cards
Swords
Ace– Three
Four-Seven
Eight-Ten
Court Cards
Pentacles
Ace– Three
Four-Seven
Eight-Ten
Court Cards
A Few Useful Spreads
Acknowledgements
INTRODUCTION
Tarot is fascinating and fun. I find it captivating enough to have kept at it for nearly thirty years. What I’ve learned during that time is that most folks want answers to questions about love, romance, and sex.
Of course, you care about your job or the occasional specific issue, but by and large people want answers to questions such as “Does he/she love me?” “Is he/she the right one for me?” “What's going to happen now?” and the daunting, “Why are they doing… that?”
This book will open the veil! If you have tried to read Tarot, you may have come to the conclusion that only about a third of the cards concern themselves with relationships and emotions. In truth, if you know how to look, all of the cards of the Tarot deck have meanings that fall into the Big Three of Inquiry: Love, Money, and Work.
Rare indeed is the book defining Tarot cards which focuses in a detailed manner on the LOVE aspect of a reading, but that’s what we are going for here! Even a true novice will be able to do a love spread and understand what each card means vis-à-vis romance. Impress your friends! Dazzle your enemies! Win the heart of The Queen of Cups!
This book jumps right to it, and while I do provide a short and basic traditional definition before jumping into the Good Stuff, this handy guide is all you need to finally KNOW what to think about that pesky Two of Swords and the other ambivalent cards.
I am assuming here that you have a spread or two you like, and a technique of shuffling that works for you. I have included some especially helpful and classic spreads at the end of the book, but my focus with this guide is simply to give you a romantic interpretation for every card in the deck.
I also include an “Outcome Card” context, which can be the most confusing aspect of a spread, but remember: ALL cards relate to each other. A thrilling spread with a lousy outcome card doesn’t mean all is lost. It just means: “Be careful and smart.” Know that the best way to read Tarot is to tell a story with it; each card is a chapter, flowing into the next. With practice, you will become so fluent in this language you will see the story unfold in front of you, and when it comes to love and divination, you will have a real leg up. But, before we begin, a little background.
HOW DOES TAROT WORK?
OR:
HOW TO MAKE YOUR CARDS CRANKY
When new to Tarot I assigned some qualities to it that I have come to modify with time, experience, and thousands of readings. In fact, it was many years before I truly came to understand what I believe is the real “magic” of tarot.
There is a lot of lore surrounding the cards, and it is difficult to know Tarot's true origin, but the first cards found using the symbols that eventually became the Major Arcana were in a five hundred year old card game called "Trumps" (ahem). Seeing some one's future in cards, tea leafs or entrails is a long standing human tradition, but I often wonder who was the first person to try!
So, while there is no true consensus as to How it All Got Started, it is probably satisfyingly simple and practical, like all human beginnings, and then coated in many dips of mythic embellishment over time, because that is one of the things humans do best: We make things important by all choosing to agree they are important, and then add a dose of time for gravitas. The amazing part about this is this often works! This imaginary important thing becomes real, and really works. That is a type of true magic.
Tarot is the Velveteen Rabbit of divination, and for this useful tool, I am very grateful.
Now that we are on the subject of divination, I should add here that Tarot does not tell you the future in a “set in stone” way, at all. Your reading is a bummer? Well, that’s OK, because what Tarot does is give you a snapshot of your current state, and then suggests that, given the current circumstances, and only if you do nothing to change them, there is a likelihood of the following happening. The future is very fluid, and it is extremely rare that Tarot predicts something that is completely out of your hands to change. Yes, there are exceptions. When the Tower shows up…something is coming down, and you are going to be a spectator in that experience, and soon, but this is rare.
So how does it work? I have a theory, and it is very Jungian at its core. Carl Jung (super-genius, and one of the founders of the general umbrella under which we tuck the practice of psychoanalysis, as well as a true mystic), brought forth the idea of the Collective Unconsciousness…and to wildly simplify that concept, it is the idea that the whole of human experience, the entire planet and every human and other being on it is a part of a larger energetic entity: the collective experience of the species Human.
This is an energy and influence of its own, separate from your own unconscious, and the cards, with their archetypal ideas (archetypes being fundamental human concepts found across all cultures: sun, moon, mother, father, love, death, renewal, hope, etc)…tap into that energy and express it by showing you where you are going in the Big Blue Experience of Life on Earth.
Or, if that is too woo, you can think of the cards as a nice way to make you think; it is a symbolic kick in the pants to get you unstuck, or see things from another perspective.
Either works. In fact, they are so uncannily accurate most of the time that belief in them in order for them to work is entirely unnecessary. I cannot tell you how many readings I have done with someone who started out with crossed arms and an incredulous expression, and ended with open palms and a sense of wonder.
In the end, it’s important to realize that the cards are simply a helpful tool that can keep you aware, focused and creative with regards to problems, but you need never feel helpless to their presented outcome. You have all the power here, and this is just a window to help you see clearly.
And this brings up an important point! You don’t need to read about the same question over
and over and over and over. That way lies madness, Star Pirate. Use the following definitions and spreads to see possibilities, and then let it go until there is a new development. You can then read again, with the blessing of the cards, so to speak.
If you read compulsively, which I know is very, very tempting when you are upset or very attached to someone and want to know what will happen next, your answer will get muddier and muddier, and there is no comfort in that. The cards can even become tricksters after a while, giving you complete gobbledygook or hilariously awful, impossibly bad readings.
We can’t have that, right? So respect the cards and they will respect you by giving you clear, accurate readings that excite, comfort and even warn of impending drama...drama you can usually avoid, if you are smart. (P.S: You are so smart!)
Turn to the chapters after the definitions for some of my favorite spreads, how to read them, and example readings.
ON “REVERSED CARDS”
While there is a tradition that says it is “proper” to read cards that land upside down (or “reversed”) with their accompanying near opposite meaning, I’m saying it isn’t, and I am not alone. There is no “rule” that says you have to do this, and frankly, if you are aware of the darker aspects of any card, then that’s really all you need.
Just go with me on this. The Tarot deck is a beautiful mix of positive and… less positive. They are perfect as they are, with both light and dark aspects built into each card. Why literally stack these cards against you?
I read upright only. Life is complicated enough.
Bonne Chance!
Jhone
THE MAJOR ARCANA
Image copyright J. Daniels with elements used with permission.
These are the Big Baddies. The Archetypes. The Human Experience across all cultures! Therefore, the meanings will be richer than the simpler and more everyday experiences of the four suits.
Tarot spreads that fall with a majority of Major Arcana cards within them are considered to be “fateful,” or out of your hands.
You are far too smart, wise, and attractive to believe that.
If you draw a spread that is made up of mostly Major Arcana cards, then it makes sense to consider the spread rather important. Still, you should never let that stop you from wrestling your destiny to the ground, tying it up prettily, and making it your own. We might not get to have everything we want, but we certainly don’t have to be passive about it. Don’t like an outcome? Change it. You are a clever thing. Captain your Ship of Destiny like the swashbuckling star pirate we both know you are. I have faith in you.
Let’s go!
0: THE FOOL
TRADITIONAL MEANING
Faith, chance-taking, foolishness, and things that work out in spite of lack of savvy. Risking all. Fearlessness. Spiritual Journey.
LOVE READING
Oh, The Fool. If he is the Querent (the question asker): his heart is sewn to his sleeve with the reddest of threads! His utter willingness to throw himself into love without being mindful of the possible painful consequences is the stuff of romantic legend! Conversely, maybe you are blind to the faults of your paramour? Maybe you have a crush on an appealing and quirky character that falls somewhere between eccentric artist and goofily appealing man-child (or ageless manic pixie)? This lover will be unlike your usual fare, and he or she might baffle and frustrate, as well as excite you, if you are the rescuing type (don’t be the rescuing type).
It’s likely that they are great fun, and very inventive in the sack, while also scattered and a bit disorganized in their life, and yes, a bit immature. Still, fun; that is until you realize you might slowly be turning into “Mom.”
Watch out if The Fool is paired with The Devil, as this can suggest addiction, or The Magician, as this can suggest that The Fool’s innocent exterior hides a clever con artist.
If this card appears in a reading with The Five of Pentacles or The Emperor, watch out for a “bad boy” addiction. Trying to win the heart of the unwinnable will only bring you heartache.
As a situation, it can mean complete and utter faith on the part of the Querent that “things are being handled” by the Universe. Sometimes it’s a very good thing to just let go and have faith in best outcomes, if only because it allows the Beloved to come to you, rather than chasing after someone. (That’s also the job of The Hanged Man, whom we will visit shortly.)
POSSIBLE OUTCOME
Whoo, boy. Nothing is certain or settled here. Keep a positive attitude, pay attention, and make sure you are not letting your deeply romantic heart blind yourself to a bouquet of red flags being thrust in your face. In an otherwise very positive spread, see this card as a sign to back off a bit… to let go and let them come forward and do a bit of the heavy lifting for a bit. This is a dance for you both to enjoy, rather than a forced march!
1: THE MAGICIAN
TRADITIONAL MEANING
Manifestation of desires. Magic. Power and control. Creating something from nothing. The Trickster.
LOVE READING
Hm. I don’t know about this guy. He’s a bit of a smoothie, this one. A bit polished. This is a man who always says all the right things. You know who always says all the right things? Someone with a whole lot of practice! This is the card of the Pickup Artist Community.
Sure. He or she might actually BE an impossibly attractive, hugely articulate, confident, financially smart, funny as hell SEX GOD. Sure. They exist! Why shouldn’t one fall into your lap? He might also be all those things and a little concerned, say, about the true nature of his sexual orientation, and would like to use you as an experiment while he works that one out.
Or maybe “I’m in banking” actually means “I’m a teller at a bank”, and while there is nothing wrong with that honorable occupation, because this is the card of the embellisher, watch out. Some people just don’t feel truly lovable unless they make themselves seem very special. If you are willing to wade through that and get to their insecure, possibly loveable core, you might find a person of real quality there. Or, you might be off to the therapist for years! Only time will tell. Whee! Careful, lover!
As a situation and NOT a person, The Magician is a Very Different Animal. In this case, it is your ability to make things work and manifest in spite of obstacles. It’s about creating magic in your life, because you simply won’t accept anything else. It’s about creating a meal out of a near empty fridge to hold the both of you over till a time when you are better off, and this is great. Just know that you can’t drink from an empty cup forever.
POSSIBLE OUTCOME
In this position, it is most likely a situation, rather than a person, and that outcome is positive. This is snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Savor it.
2: THE HIGH PRIESTESS
TRADITIONAL MEANING
Mystery. Feminine power. Magic. Chastity. An emotionally removed woman. Esoteric knowledge.
LOVE READING
Playing it cool, are we? Playing a bit hard to get? You or your interest are holding your cards tightly to your chest, and you have no idea where you stand, or are working hard to keep them guessing! It works, actually, and someone will be eating out of someone else’s hand soon, but you can’t keep up this icy persona forever, nor can you subject yourself to it indefinitely. True emotional intimacy means getting messy, revealing your vulnerabilities, and indulging in the occasional ugly cry.
This is also the card of the Inappropriate Crush. Your boss, your professor, your friend’s spouse, oh my! So many opportunities for you to be miserably unfulfilled! Maybe the inappropriateness of the crush is simply more about wanting someone to be more than they can be, emotional-availability wise. Sometimes we go for Mr. or Ms. Chill when we fear intimacy ourselves. If the object of our adoration is an emotional wall, then we are free to fling ourselves against it in delicious passion and longing without ever having to deal with the complete terror of having your love actually being returned in full measure. If you had a crush on Spock, then this d
ynamic might be your jam. This is a theme that will come up more than once in this book, as it’s a classic human experience.
One final possibility: looks like sex might not be a priority in this relationship, or what was once very passionate has cooled quite a bit. Before you accuse a partner of not having a high enough libido, pay very close attention to your own behavior as a lover. Always, but always, seek to examine your own behavior first before moving on to blame.
POSSIBLE OUTCOME
Ah. This is a card of “Stop. Go No Further.” Bummer. When this Mysterious Lady lands in the outcome position, it means that all will not yet be revealed. Sigh. This is NOT the time to keep asking the same question, shuffling and reading and shuffling and reading and shuffling and reading and shuffling and reading and… well, you know this sad and hopeful dance I’m leading here. Not to worry. This is temporary. When you sense movement in the situation, you can pick up those cards again.
3: THE EMPRESS
TRADITIONAL MEANING
Luxury. Opulence. Fertility. Femininity. Romance. Marriage. Home and garden.
LOVE READING
Whenever this regal and lux woman shows up in a spread, I inevitably think the same thing: “Hello, Bouncy!”
I can’t help it. The Empress is supposed to be an elegant creature, and she is, but she can also be a bit unaware and clueless, too, as she is used to being taken care of to such a degree that she no longer understands how the rest of us struggle to live. Bubbly and kind and sweet to a fault, this hostess with the mostest is a great deal of fun. However, don’t mistake what seems like wide-eyed innocence for stupidity. She is anything but. She is just pure of intent in a world of cynicism.
But why “Bouncy?” Because this woman is all woman: very feminine, voluptuous, flirty, sexy, and, if you aren’t careful… fertile. This means she is great news if you are looking to become pregnant.
But for the rest of us who aren’t, no need to get nervous. She can also mean traditional romance, as in that frisson that comes with the polar dynamic of male and female gender roles, romantically rather than oppressively expressed. This is doubly true if The Emperor shows up in the same spread. Also, it can be about money and luxury itself, as in having the means to enjoy yourself completely with your partner: to go where you want, do what you want, and the time and freedom to do so. Also, lots and lots and lots of sex! Yay, sex!
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