The reading of Tarot cards involves a particular perception of reality. In the normal everyday perception, which is sometimes called “consensus reality”, the cards are pieces of printed cardboard, and shuffling them is a random process. Yet when we read the cards, we shift to another framework of reality perception in which there is one basic rule: everything is a sign.
This rule is first and foremost expressed in the fact that we interpret the cards not as a random collection of cardboard pieces, but as a meaningful sign with a message for the querent. But the signs to be interpreted are not limited to the specific cards in the spread. Everything which takes place in and around the reading session may also be seen as a sign. In other words, during the reading session our perception of reality is that nothing happens by mere chance. Everything is a sign.
We may start to apply this rule by observing the querent and his behavior. The way he presents himself and his question, the choice of words and the tone of voice, the degree of openness and initial exposure – these are all signs which express his emotional attitude towards the issue in question, towards the cards and towards the reader. The way the querent shuffles the cards – whether in a self-confident or in a hesitant manner – is a sign. If the querent apologizes for not knowing how to shuffle properly, it is a sign. If the querent touches and re-arranges the cards once they are laid on the table, then the quality of his hand movement and the change in the cards’ layout are signs. The body language and the sitting position of the querent are signs. Also the design and the colors of his clothes and accessories, especially if they resemble details in the cards, are signs. Everything is a sign.
Unusual occurrences which happen during the reading are also signs. If at the initial shuffle in the reader’s hands a certain card pops up time and again, it’s a sign. If during the shuffle a few cards fall from the querent’s hands, we can look at them and try to understand what they signify. Maybe it is something which does not fit with the way we formulated the question, or a message that the querent rejects as it is too much for him to hold. If the same cards appear time and again in consecutive spreads, it is a sign. If they appear in different spreads for the same querent they might hold a special message for him, and if they appear in sessions with consecutive querents, it may be a message for us. If there is a candle in the room and its flame suddenly moves or emits sparks, or if a loud noise is heard from outside, it is a sign emphasizing what is being said at that precise moment. Everything is a sign.
We might not understand and interpret all the signs as they appear. Some signs we understand only in retrospect, at a later stage of the reading. Signs may also have different levels of meaning which we may discover one after the other. We can at first give a certain interpretation to the sign, and then realize that we can understand it on a deeper level. So we should not try to grasp all the signs at once. Instead, we should strive to open ourselves to the signs, take note of them when they appear, and search our imagination for their possible meaning. This is more an intuitive than a rational process. The meaning should appear as a moment of realization, in which we suddenly see a connection between the sign – a certain detail in the card illustration, or something which happened in the reading space – and the querent’s life.