Important Tips to Newbies

How To Read Tarot The Easiest Way

To all Readers:

I noticed when I read your readings is that you are missing some very important points.

My tip are as follows:

(when you open up a spread - DO NOT PROCEED IN READING THE MEANING OF YOUR CARDS YET)

- First, check the Elemental Dignities of your cards. What elements are dominant, what elements are less, and what elements are missing.

- The most dominant element could be the theme surrounding the situation. (example: when water/cups are dominant, it means that there are lots of emotions going on in that particular situation)

- The lesser number of elements are the ones supporting the situation (example: when air/swords are the lesser/supporting elements, it means that the situation needs some more thinking on the querent's side)

- Then, check the missing elements. These are the most important elements because these missing elements are the ones causing all the problem in that particular situation (example: when earth/pentacles are missing, it means that the situation needs solid foundation, it also means that the situation is floating with nothing solid to hold on)

Example Reading: (3 Cards)

FOOL = LOVERS = ACE OF SWORDS

Now, here at first glance it looks like its a "love affair going to be materialized cards". But, wait, look and see, these are all AIR cards!!! No WATER/Cups (Emotion), No FIRE/Wands (Desire), and most especially, No EARTH/Pentacles (solid foundation to hold on to)

So, can you guess the meaning of the cards now? I hope you do. The situation is saying that eventhough the card is telling us something about love but actually because of the missing elements of water (emotion), fire (desire), earth (solid foundation) the querent has a lot of things to work on from her side if she really wants to make this thing happen. Love is still floating in the air, no desire, no emotion, and nothing to hold on to.

(NOW YOU CAN START READING THE MEANING OF THE CARDS INDIVIDUALLY)

If you use this technique, then, you don't even have to use reversed cards because as you weave the story of the cards you already knew what is needed to be worked on to. You already knew the story behind the situation even before you have started reading the individual meaning of the cards! You don't even have to read the whole spread. - EASY!!!

Your friendly neighborhood - RANZEL

We don't all use dignities, though. I don't choose to, even though I do know how to. I prefer not to use them and I know the same is true for a great many other people.

Your advice is good for those who choose to use elemental dignities, of course. It's very nice of you to take so much time to type out all the instructions like you have here.

Some don't read elements at all. And some of us read elements in different ways. So, it's tricky.

Or attribute different elements to Majors... it seems like it's hard to get a consensus with some of these Majors. And, really, I personally exclude Major Arcana cards from elemental exploration, though I'll look at various astrological aspects.

I do use elements and even elemental dignities to a degree, but I use them in a more kabbalistic sense, to represent the four layers of human consciousness. So, I see what you're saying, but I wouldn't view those three cards the same way.

First of all, you're not going to get too many elements present in a 3 card reading (you certainly cannot get all 4). Secondly, for me, the elements only tell me at which 'level' the energies are interacting - Fire/Spirit, Air/Mind, Water/Emotions, Coins/Physical World. Water (Cups) craves earth, falls, and try to make things happen in the physical world (Coins), and Air (Swords) craves fire, rises, and tries to make things happen in the spiritual world (Wands). So, it would be a very different reading for me.

Then again, I wouldn't see a love affair materialized at first glance, but it has nothing to do with the lack of Cups or Pentacles... it has to do with that Fool card being present.

Thank you Ranzel...that is excellent.

Although I tend to stick with my oracle cards, I do still enjoy the Mystic faeries, and your explaination has given me a lot to think about with the tarot crads.

I'm afriad that I was one who didn't look for the missing or the few....but now you have explained it as you have done, it all makes perfect sense.

Now maybe I have missed something on the forum, and I appologise if I have....but the lesson that Ranzel has just given....in simple easy reading terms......is something that would be good on the forum, in stickies maybe. Just a few of the basics like this, things that the experienced take for granted and never even think about, that would stop newbies spending hours learning, then finding that there was either an easier way, or that they have in fact learnt most of it wrongly.

Thanks again Ranzel.
Ang x

the elements only tell me at which 'level' the energies are interacting - Fire/Spirit, Air/Mind, Water/Emotions, Coins/Physical World. Water (Cups) craves earth, falls, and try to make things happen in the physical world (Coins), and Air (Swords) craves fire, rises, and tries to make things happen in the spiritual world (Wands).

Now that is awkward for me to understand....and bearing in mind that I have Fybromyaglia and a dead thyroid, which both affect memory....but I bet once you have understood it, and it works for you that is ok.

But I feel that the easier things are to grasp for the newbie.....espcially me with my shortcomings....the better if is for learning.

Ang x

Elemental dignities can help those who do not use reversals, if they require nuance in their readings. But all of this advice is entirely optional, of course. I know lots of people who read intuitively without ever having used a book definition.
If one threw ace of cups, 2 swords, lovers and used e.d.s, the ace would fade to the background (null), and the focus would be on Air - the 2 swords + Lovers = "opt for the intellectualizing and leave emotions (ace cups) out of it"

ace of cups, 2 swords, lovers

If I had ace of cups....2 swords and the lovers.... I would think Ha, I'M IN HERE, I'd throw caution to the WIND and jump on him and ravage his poor body....

Only kidding....all I have at 54 is a vivid imagination....

But I see what you mean balenciaga, there are a few different ways of looking at this aren't there.....and I suppose it's ok to go with whichever you feel is right for you.....whichever you can either remember or work with...

Ang x

Now that is awkward for me to understand....and bearing in mind that I have Fybromyaglia and a dead thyroid, which both affect memory....but I bet once you have understood it, and it works for you that is ok.

But I feel that the easier things are to grasp for the newbie.....espcially me with my shortcomings....the better if is for learning.

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I can understand that, and that is what happens when I cram several years of study into a paragraph. (And certainly, my way isn't the only way. There are many ways with the elements, which was my point! I've seen so many interesting theories here.)

I think Ranzel has a good idea in general, but I find Tarot is not so simple, especially when it comes to the elements.

A quick search on this topic will find many posts full of insightful and contradicting views on how to read the elements... heck, in some decks, the Swords are Fire, so it is not as though the same element is always even attributed to the same implement.

In reading the Marseilles Tarot, there are not even necessarily elements implied. It is about the implement.

The Thoth Tarot is the tarot most used with elemental dignities, and it has a particular view on what the astrology and elemental associations of each card should be. There is no universal agreement on this, and no universal agreement on the astrology (and thus element) behind many of the Majors.

I think simple is a good place to start, but I think it's important to realize that Tarot is complex. My point was it may not be that everyone is 'missing the point,' as Ranzel suggests...but that some people use different systems, don't use elementals, or have studied different systems which have influenced them. The basic 4 elements are useful, but there are a myriad of views, methods, and practices.

Ange said:

ok to go with whichever you feel is right for you.....whichever you can either remember or work with...

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Absolutely. And frankly, that is the only way to read.

Different people have different styles of reading and different people learn in different ways. I learned through reading Major Arcana only to start with, then the entire deck but with no reversals, then I later added reversals as well. Usually if you read intuitively, at least in my case, the elemental dignities hardly matter. Plus what element is associated with what suit is open to debate, especially with Wands and Swords.