Tarot Card Combinations

By Dorothy Kelly and Joan Bunning

Tarot Card Combinations is a unique, comprehensive, and highly practical presentation of interpreting the tarot that has helped thousands master the ancient divination. Dorothy Kelly's easy-to-understand approach shares everything one needs to know to unlock the story presented when the cards are drawn. Like other tarot reading guides, basic tarot definitions of the major and minor arcana are included, as well as explanations of basic layout, and how to interpret upright and reversed cards. What makes this book unique is Kelly's presentation of cards in endless combinations, revealing how the cards relate to each other and endowing each card with richer meaning and more subtle nuances than when considered alone.

Beginners will learn the basics and be presented with an easy to follow organic system of learning to interpret the cards. Intermediate practitioners can build on what they already know and for advanced readers, Tarot Card Combinations will provide new insight and food for thought. With illustrations showing 2, 3, 4, and 5 card combinations of cards in the popular Waite deck, Tarot Card Combinations is as beautiful as it is informative. Reading tarot cards one after another never reveals the rich meaning of cards considered together. Use Tarot Card Combinations to unlock the depth and meaning of stories revealed in the tarot.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser
• Release date: Apr 1, 2003
• ISBN: 9781609259259

Dorothy Kelly

Dorothy Kelly has been working with the tarot and teaching others for more than two decades. This book is the result of her frustration over the lack of books available to her beginning students that deal with the cards in combination. She lives in Australia.

Book preview

way.

PART 1

Introduction

In order to understand the basic concepts of reading tarot card combinations, readers need to know something about the Major and Minor Arcana, even though they will probably read other books for basic definitions, and they may also work with a teacher. The pages that follow set the course for the journey.

The Deck

Dr. Arthur Edward Waite originally created The Rider Waite Tarot Deck. This deck was illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. A new colorization of the symbols from his original deck appears in the Universal Waite deck, and we have used the Universal Waite to illustrate this book. Students may want to work with both.

Harmonize with Your Cards

Develop harmony and take care of your cards. It is advisable to wrap your cards in a pure silk scarf. Choose a strong and vibrant color for this silk, as the color protects the cards from damage and prevents any negative vibrations from interfering with them. The cards are like magnets that work off energy, drawing in dynamic forces. Always keep your cards in a safe place. Handle them with love and respect and they will do the same for you. Mistreating or misusing of the cards will only lessen the dynamic impact.

Myths Regarding the Tarot Cards

Here are some of the more common myths that I have heard.

Never buy your own deck of tarot cards. Admittedly, I was given my first deck of tarot cards as a very much-appreciated gift, but since then I have bought countless decks myself and they work just as efficiently as the one that was given to me.

Cut the cards only with your left hand. The methods used to cut the cards are about as varied as the interpretations of the cards.

You cannot read for yourself or your family. I have always read my own cards and read for my family. If you can learn to read and interpret the cards as they fall, and recognize the story that is unfolding, then you can read cards for yourself, the family, or strangers. However, if your emotions get in the way, you may not see well.

Location

Select a suitable room or space, pick comfortable furniture–a table and chair, tablecloth, flowers, pictures–whatever looks and feels good, to decorate the room where you intend to read the cards.

Relax

Meditation prior to beginning a reading helps establish a relaxed and receptive approach, as this stills the mind and attunes you to higher awareness. You may choose to meditate and/or say a prayer or draw energy to you by relaxing as completely as you possibly can. It's best to clear your mind of all outside thoughts. Concentrate only on your expanded awareness, and visualize a brilliant golden ray emanating from your higher power and filling you completely with this divine energy. Feel the energy entering into you, surrounding you and the area where you are. Be still, ask for helping guidance, accept it, and say thank you. When you feel the energy starting to draw back, you will know that the energy transition has been completed.

Learning

When beginning to learn the cards, it is best to separate the cards into their respective suits. The Major Arcana are numbered I through XXI, and The Fool is called 0. Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles, consisting of King, Queen, Knight, Page, Ace, and the numbers 2 through 10 inclusive, are called the Minor Arcana.

Take the Major Arcana and spread the twenty-two cards out in front of you, one at a time. Look at them very closely and study the cards. Look for all the details you can see; for example, note the colors, the flowers, whether the flowers are blossoming or not, the clouds, whether they are white, gray or black, the horses, whether they are red, gray, or black. Is the horse raised in an upright position or is it plodding along slowly? Close your eyes and gently run your index finger slowly over the card and feel across and up and down the card, noting any pictures, symbols, or colors which may form in your mind.

I remember doing this exercise, particularly with The Empress, and I saw in my mind's eye a tree, with what appeared to be dead branches, yet it had what looked like bright red cherries growing on the limbs of the tree. Not understanding it at the time, and quite concerned, I made many inquiries to no avail. Suddenly I was aware that the image emerging depicted fruit, meaning fruitful, the Mother Empress. The fruit, the cherries–not the tree. Confused initially by cherries growing on a dead tree, I misinterpreted the meaning at first. If you also become confused by what you first see in your mind's eye–or what you do not see–don't be alarmed. Sometimes you may see a color instead of a picture, or you may get a feeling, an intuitive thought, or a perception. Go with it, even if it is not clear at first. The more you handle and study your cards, the better you will become. Just as a great piano player becomes great through constant dedicated hours of practice, so will you.

Do the same with the Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles, laying each suit in front of you. Time taken with this will enable you to go from good to great. Develop your skill, and you can eventually master the tarot cards.

Introducing the Deck

Structure of the Tarot Deck

There are seventy-eight (78) cards to a deck. They consist of twenty-two Major Arcana (from I to XXI and 0, The Fool, equals twenty-two cards). There are fifty-six (56) Minor or Lesser Arcana, consisting of:

Four Kings,

Four Queens,

Four Knights, and

Four Pages of their respective suits, which equal 16 cards.

There are four Aces of their respective suits, and the cards numbered 2 to 10, or another 36 cards, which gives you a total of 78 cards.

Major Arcana

The Major Arcana are numbered. They represent the original deck of twenty-two cards. Each card has a name. These symbols have been used from ancient times. The Minor or Lesser Arcana was added much, much later. These were added to the pack to give more information and to enhance the readings.

When reading the Major Arcana, take note of where, and how many Major Arcana appear in a particular spread. They may be indicating a new segment of your reading or highlighting an important person or situation involved in the reading. These twenty-two cards are the highest and most important of the 78-card pack. Take special care to figure out why they have appeared, and what they are trying to tell you.

The Fool

The Fool can be used to identify a person or event relating to the story of the reading. The Fool substitutes for the Joker in a regular deck of cards.

The Lesser or Minor Arcana

The 56 Cards of the Minor Arcana are similar to a deck of playing cards. They consist of four suits. The court cards–King, Queen, Knight, Page, and Ace–fall into the pattern of the picture cards of the playing deck. The Knight is an extra card. A regular card deck only has 52 cards.

The Court Cards

The four suits relate to the regular card deck as follows: Wands (Clubs), Cups (Hearts), Swords (Spades), and Pentacles (Diamonds).

The court cards usually represent people. The descriptions given here are offered as an initial guide. Do not confine your description too closely, as sometimes hair and eyes may slightly vary. For example, red hair may indicate brown eyes, but gray hair may indicate eyes of any color.

The court cards can also represent a situation that relates to the original question asked or the guidance sought by the person for whom you are reading. The court cards are not numbered.

The Aces

Aces represent the first of the sequence of ten cards of any suit of the Lesser Arcana. They can be used to indicate the seasons: Ace of Wands = Spring, Ace of Cups = Summer, Ace of Swords = Autumn, and Ace of Pentacles = Winter.

Cards II through X

These are situation cards and their explanations are listed in the descriptions. Keep in mind that the interpretations and meanings given serve as a guide and variations may be used.

Getting to Know the Cards

Learn one group at a time–Major Arcana, Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles. Learn the upright and reverse meanings of each group of cards, as both are equally important. Remember the definitions are offered only as a guide to establish the direction of the cards. An alternate word may be substituted instead of those listed.

After learning the Major Arcana's single meanings (both upright and reverse), start by placing the two cards–for example, The Magician and The High Priestess–together, and learn how the two can be combined.

Lay out the cards starting from left to right. Read the cards from left to right, as 'you would a book. At this stage it is not advisable to try to read more than two cards together. Once you have done one and two together, and three and four, and so on, practice combining at random any two of the Major Arcana, upright with upright, upright with reversed, and reversed with reversed.

Familiarize yourself with the cards: feel the flow and dynamism of the cards. If you experience difficulties with any particular combinations, do not become concerned. Some combinations do not appear to combine easily, and, by adding another card, you may be able to clarify the meaning and direction.

The Minor or Lesser Arcana

The suits of the Minor Arcana have specific meanings. The Wands relate to action, career, and work; the Cups relate to sensing, feeling, affection; the Swords relate to difficulties, hardships, crises; and the Pentacles relate to finance, wealth, and income.

As with the Major Arcana, spread the fourteen cards in front of you–one by one–King, Queen, Knight, Page, Ace, and numbers from II to X. Examine and study the cards and their symbols. Look at the colors, pictures, and all the details. Learn the singular meanings, both upright and reverse.

Combining the Minor Arcana Cards

Place the cards of the respective suit in lots of two from left to right–King and Queen, Knight and Page, and so on, and familiarize yourself with the idea of linking the single meanings together. Feel the flow of the combination.

Practice

Having practiced combining the Major Arcana and the suits in groups of two, put all the cards together, mix them thoroughly face down on the table, then pack them up and shuffle them. Cut them into two piles (with either hand) and slide the largest of the two piles into your hand. Deal out several lots of two from left to right. Practice interpreting the sets of two and linking them together. See and feel how the cards are relating together for you. Take your time. Translate what they seem to be trying to tell you. It may be a good idea to keep a personal record for future reference.

Interpretation of the Minor Arcana

When reading the Lesser Arcana (Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles), do not restrict yourself to combining the suit meanings. For example, the Ace of Cups refers to sense, feeling, or affection (love), but the expansion of this meaning suggests marriage, contentment, satisfaction, happiness, success, and abundance, or their reverse. These possible interpretations are read in conjunction with the next card. The two cards tell a story. For example, Ace of Cups and the IV of Cups can mean:

marriage and happiness,

satisfaction and pleasure,

happiness and celebrations.

and so on, as per the examples given. Both cards together also refer to sense, feeling, and affection because they are both Cups. The Ace of Cups combined with the X of Pentacles might be read as:

marriage and family,

satisfaction and happiness,

wealth and fortune.

The appropriateness of the interpretation will come easily with the practice of learning and understanding the cards.

Reading Cards from Different Suits

The suit cards of the Minor Arcana lend strength to the story. Wands equal activity, career, work; Cups equal sense, feeling, affection; Swords equal difficulties, hardship, crisis; and Pentacles equal finance, wealth, income. They tell you if the story deals with personal issues, work, money, hardships, etc. For example:

Therefore, marriage/finance can be interpreted as union/income or partnership/success.

An objective reading can be developed by using your intuitive feelings. For example:

Ace of Wands = new, start, commencement, etc.

II of Wands = project, goal, success, etc.

Therefore the Ace of Wands and the II of Wands are work cards and indicate a new beginning of a project that relates to work.

However, when you add a third card–for example, The Lovers, meaning lovers, partners, union–then the story relates to a new beginning with a project relating to lovers, partners or a union, etc. From this example you can see that the cards are read using their single meanings, and are also linked together by your intuitive feelings and the guidance given by the cards that follow.

The interpretations provided with each card combination are given as examples of how three different (but similar) interpretations can be presented. This is not meant to confuse students, but rather to show the various ways that the cards can be read.

When reading a layout of five cards from different suits, it is not appropriate to try to combine the suits and meanings as this could confuse the story and make the translation more difficult. For example one Major Arcana, one Wand, one Cup, one Sword and one Pentacle, might need to be read on card description alone. An example might be as follows:

You can mention the nature of the suit when you are reading a layout. You would mention this while talking to the inquirer. If you have Wands (work) or Swords (hardship), most people want to know that. If you see problem cards in the combination, it is comforting to know the nature of the problem, and that would be determined by the suit as well as the cards themselves. For example:

or

or

In these cases, it is appropriate to include the suit. However, let's look at another example:

In this three-card example, it would not be appropriate to include the suit meaning. This interpretation in itself is clear enough without using Pentacles or Cups to define the situation.

Reversed Cards

When cards are reversed, the interpretations of the cards are different. The Lovers card means faithful (upright), and faithless (reversed), and, as such, will be read differently. A reversed Lovers could be read as faithless in conjunction with the next card. The Lovers card is still The Lovers card, however, whether upright or reversed. A further example is The Magician. The Magician is talented (upright) and unskilled (reversed). It is also masculine (upright) or effeminate (reversed). The Magician reversed is still male but has feminine characteristics in this position. Keep the reversed card meaning to the reverse meanings. Do not skip the reverse meanings, or try to change the negative to a positive. The reverse meaning of the cards will fit in with the other cards, as well as the upright meanings. I have seen many students become frightened and shy away from reverse meanings, trying to alter them to the point of turning the cards around the right way up. Don't do this!

The reverse position of the cards are helping to establish the line of direction that the inquirer is heading toward. If you alter the meanings of the cards in any way, you will be giving the inquirer a totally negative reading, based on your own imagination of the outcome, and not the real outcome. The reading will not be worth while doing.

You must be totally honest about what the cards are directing you to say. Don't say what you think is right, or try to protect the inquirer from a negative situation. You will not protect the inquirer, you will be preventing the inquirer from taking positive action to prevent a negative situation. Remember, many positive changes have come out of negative beginnings.

You must trust your cards, if you want to read them, and detach your own feelings or thoughts away from what you feel you should say, despite what you feel. This way you will be giving an honest reading. Some readers give to the inquirer what they feel the inquirer wants to hear, ignoring the truth of events to come. What is the point of having a reading like this? Initially it may make the inquirer feel better, but when the situation doesn't turn out

Reviews for Tarot Card Combinations

[silvernfire · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

There's a problem with reviewing a tarot book: if you don't agree with the author's take on the cards, it's hard to judge anything else about the book. That's what happened with me and this book. I think the general approach is sound. Kelly spends most of the book putting together 2-, 3-, and 4-card combinations and showing how she uses keywords to turn those combinations into plain English interpretations, followed by demonstrating some spreads. But much of the time, I wondered how she came up with her keywords in the first place since they were not at all like how I think of the cards, and this distracted me.