Commentary on Tarot: Single Card Readings and Interpretations
You know, for as many posts I have seen about Tarot on here, none that I have really seen talk about single card readings and how in truth you can actually get a lot from a single card alone.
If you ever worry that maybe you need more than one card for a reading or perhaps you aren't doing enough, please know that you should trust your intuition and that sometimes, one card can hold a lot of power in it.
Especially with the Minor Arcana. I feel like the Minor Arcana gets put on the back burner a lot. The Major Arcana is important of course, but the Minor Arcana has a lot of importance within it too. From the elements the suit of the card is involved with, to the Numerology behind the card, the imagery, and the definition itself. There just is so much that can be ready from it.
For example, I say we look at the Two of Swords card. Now, I'll use the Rider-Waite image for it since that's what mostly everyone knows, but take a look here:
Let's break this card down and show how it all comes together.
Imagery: Even before looking up the definition, the person in this photo has a blindfold on, and holds two swords across in a "x" formation in front of them. Both are held as evenly as the other in a similar fashion that perhaps a set of scales would be. What do scales represent to you? For me, it is a balance of some kind. Perhaps it can involve justice, but to me? There is one point and another being balanced carefully and impartially because the person cannot see. They have a blindfold. If Reversed, maybe this could be taken as the person being blind to the choices they may make and the consequences of the.
Swords Suit Meaning: Let's look at the meaning of the Swords Suit. Swords are involved with the element of Air which deals with choice. These involve your actions, words, and thoughts. Remember that action can be destructive or constructive, and neither is inherently good or bad. This asks for a balance of power and intuition. Remember that our actions have consequences. Air like choices can be like a gentle gale, or a strong and sharp tornado that may decimate everything around it. Consequences like action, is not inherently good or bad.
Numerology: A good little rule to note with Numerology? Even numbers usually are involved with the ideas of stability. The reason I believe involves the fact that Even numbers are more easily divisible and "balanced". Like the number four, in Numerology this is a number of stability and the way it was explained to me was that one should picture a table with four legs. The four legs keep the table stable (no pun intended here). Take one leg away, and while it still can be stable to a degree, it won't be quite like what the four legs were like. With the number two in the Two of Swords, this also is a balance once again. Should you ever need to confirm your suspicions on whether something may be correct in meaning, do some cross referencing! Of course you can look to the actual definition online or in a book, but don't be afraid to use other parts of the card to help. This helps check your intuition as well.
Actual Definition: Here we come to the actual definition. The actual definition of the Two of Swords talks of difficult decisions, weighing options, impasses and avoidance. This is the short and sweetened version of this card.
So how do we bring it all together?
Combine what we've learned! We can note that the idea of avoidance with this card stems from the blindfold the person is wearing in the picture. Whether this is willingly avoiding the matter at hand or not is something that can be checked upon, but it checks out! The impasse? Weighing options?
Let's check back in with the swords and the number two for a second. Of course, perhaps there is more than one matter needing a decision, but each decision usually has at least two choices no? Think of these swords to be like scales needing balance. The number two shows a need for stability, and the imagery backs this up. This shows us the impasse needing our attention. Of course, we defer to the fact that the suit for this card is the Swords suit. What element does it lie in? Air. The one of choices, actions, and thoughts.
My best tip I can give to help maybe not make this feel so intimidating, is to not be afraid of your intuition. Really feel into the energy of your deck and the questions at hand. Play the role of a detective solving a puzzle. Get a feel for the person you are reading for. It takes practice, but it can be done.
If this has helped anyone else feel free to share your thoughts on it. I just wanted to at least get these comments out for people who may need it. If you feel you need more clarification, then feel free to pull more. Don't feel like you have to have more or less.
