Tarot: Creating The Story

To help the querant better understand his or her fate as told by the tarot cards, a good reader would pull everything together by telling it in story form. In most cases, The Fool represents the querent and his journey is defined by what the cards say.

When creating a tarot story, it needs to be done spontaneously. Tarot readers must understand what the cards mean. Once this part has been mastered, the reader can then start practicing spontaneous storytelling via the cards. As time goes by and the tarot reader gains more experience, he or she will be able to seamlessly combine both telling the story of the cards based on its actual meaning.

Most stories have the following part:
The hero (represented by the Fool)
The problem or conflict
The role of the guides
The projected outcome
Action plans to help the querent shape his or her destiny into a more positive outcome

There are several techniques for story telling, but each tarot reader must find his or her own way. An effective method is called stream-of-consciousness. This is when you start with one thought and say what you feel out loud as they occur. With this method, there is no censorship or control, in the end you tell a story based on your feelings. All you need to do is let the words come out and see where it goes from there. This method is especially effective for single-card readings.

Others follow a pattern based on how the cards appear. This is a more organized way of telling the tarot story but may end up being too structured and scripted. As a new reader, you must be able to resist from basing your reading purely on the meaning of the cards and adding a bit of storytelling creativity to the mix.

In most of the popular tarot card spreads all 22 major arcana cards are used during the shuffle. However, depending on the spread chosen, only a handful will be laid out for the tarot reading. Despite the many available spreads that let you tell an entire story, there is also the single-card spread.

The single-card tarot reading is used to provide a concise reading. Some say it lacks the depth of a multi-card reading, but contrary to what others believe, it can actually be more direct to the point. This is applicable if the querant only has one question that needs a definite answer.

With this kind of spread, you will not be able to base the meaning of the card on its position. The only possible interpretation based on how it is laid out is if it is reversed or in an upright position. Other than that, there are factors you can use to interpret a single card.

One is the common interpretation of the card based on its history. For instance, the Fool usually represents the querent. Each reader will have different interpretations, but if you do your research right, youll find that there are common trends to how these are interpreted. The key to better understanding tarot card interpretations is knowing the symbols there and how to expand on these to get to the meaning of the card.