On Deciphering Combination's Meaning

Balisle

As a beginner I feel like card combinations are sometimes the hardest thing to be figured out. Yet, a very satisfying feeling when you have that "ah-ha" moment of finally knowing what it's all about.

I have read many posts and ideas on how to decipher a combination's meaning. Like numerology, elements and even mythology(?).

For me, I like to line up cards the cards side by side. And then try to see the story that the cards are trying to tell me, by the pictures and keywords. Maybe it's because I like stories - keywords and pictures helped me in figuring out what the cards mean. It's also a very easy method for a beginner like me

One example would be: 4 of Pentacles, King of Cups and Temperance. For me, I see a man who has complete control of his emotions and maturity to mix many different variables into a desirable outcome.

So what're your favourite ways to decipher a combination's meaning? I'd love to know and learn more about the various ways of doing it! :D
 

Barleywine

To me, this is where the challenge and the fun come together. If you're using a deck with narrative scenes on the minors, you can always use the visual cues from the images along with the various meanings and correspondences to create a "story-line" as you've done with your example. One of the best books I've seen on blending the card meanings is Elizabeth Hazel's The Tarot Decoded: Understanding Dignities and Correspondences. It's main thrust is weighting and adjusting the potency and purity of expression for cards in a combination using the classical elements (suits), but she also goes into the idea of dignity ("strengthening or weakening") according to the appearance of cards of the same number, rank or astrological association in a combination. I think you could get a lot of mileage out of her ideas.
 

Balisle

To me, this is where the challenge and the fun come together. If you're using a deck with narrative scenes on the minors, you can always use the visual cues from the images along with the various meanings and correspondences to create a "story-line" as you've done with your example. One of the best books I've seen on blending the card meanings is Elizabeth Hazel's The Tarot Decoded: Understanding Dignities and Correspondences. It's main thrust is weighting and adjusting the potency and purity of expression for cards in a combination using the classical elements (suits), but she also goes into the idea of dignity ("strengthening or weakening") according to the appearance of cards of the same number, rank or astrological association in a combination. I think you could get a lot of mileage out of her ideas.

I also think that it's where the challenge and the fun meet! :D
But unfortunately I'm limited to only using keywords and visual cues for now - hoping to expand that.
Definitely will check the book! Hopefully will learn as much as you did, thanks Barleywine! :)
 

FLizarraga

I, too, try to find narrative clues and to discover the story that the cards are trying to tell me. In time, the more I practice, and the more my knowledge expands, the richer and deeper the story gets. Of course I will never be at Barleywine's level here --he's a walking encyclopedia :D... But one does what one can.

A word of caution, though: IMHO, unlike Lenormand, one cannot really read Tarot by "combinations." There is such a wealth of possible meanings in each card that a particular combination can mean something very different from one reading to another, depending on the situation and the question asked. The World as outcome, say, is usually and safely assumed to be a good thing, but it would mean something very different in different cases.

For instance, I could read the combination you list as: if you (person of either sex) want to stop letting your insecurity make you cling to things, you should master your emotions so you can get to a place of deep harmony in your life.
 

Balisle

I, too, try to find narrative clues and to discover the story that the cards are trying to tell me. In time, the more I practice, and the more my knowledge expands, the richer and deeper the story gets. Of course I will never be at Barleywine's level here --he's a walking encyclopedia :D... But one does what one can.

A word of caution, though: IMHO, unlike Lenormand, one cannot really read Tarot by "combinations." There is such a wealth of possible meanings in each card that a particular combination can mean something very different from one reading to another, depending on the situation and the question asked. The World as outcome, say, is usually and safely assumed to be a good thing, but it would mean something very different in different cases.

For instance, I could read the combination you list as: if you (person of either sex) want to stop letting your insecurity make you cling to things, you should master your emotions so you can get to a place of deep harmony in your life.

I'm glad I'm not the only person that are trying to discover the story between the cards! :)

Yes! I guess one of the reasons that I like Tarot is because there're no good/bad cards. I like to discover the "other" side of the popularly thought to be bad cards. Like moon, death, etc.

No comment on Lenormand though, since I've never studied it before.

Love your take on the cards that I mentioned by the way!
 

headincloud

Your method of reading key words and visual clues is a sound place to start, you'll probably turn out to be an intuitive reader rather than an intellectual one if this is your comfort zone.

A great way to get to grips with combo's is to pick a card, get a grip on it's meaning then go through the pack placing the cards one at a time with the focus card so you're reading pairs, try figuring out what effect the cards have on each other for example the hanged man key word sacrifice and voluntary change, the second card will tell us info like what the sacrifice relates to so the emperor might indicate changes around a job or sacrifices around fatherhood and so forth. The pips tell us how the person is dealing with the sacrifices being asked of them so 9S with the hanged man will indicate this person is having a nightmare making the necessary sacrifices but is prepared to do so none the less.

One you've got an idea of how pairs of cards bounce off each other try adding a third to the mix and expanding the overall picture which will give you further insight into the situation, in the above example we could put all 3 cards together to say this man is stressed about becoming a father, there may be some changes around working hrs or something similar but ultimately the situation will come together for a higher good as he gives up the old and makes way for the new.
 

Barleywine

A word of caution, though: IMHO, unlike Lenormand, one cannot really read Tarot by "combinations." There is such a wealth of possible meanings in each card that a particular combination can mean something very different from one reading to another, depending on the situation and the question asked.

I think this is mostly true, with some exceptions. In a spread with defined positions, certain cards are often read in combination. Also, when using Elemental Dignities, cards are read either in pairs or triplets.
 

headincloud

There are certain combinations that I always read in a pre-defined way such as 2 aces in a spread will always mean a house move or move around a job, the spread will define which or both. 3 pages will always point at groups of young people, 3 aces will always be powerful forces of change at work, 2 queens is backstabbing and bitchiness between 2 women, 4 kings is power and honours granted etc.

I find these little overviews very helpful but I lost the book I was learning from, a little pocket book and bang on but I can't remember the name or author but it laid out 2, 3 and 4 combinations in a really neat way. I'd recommend learning these type of combo's as extra information but some people really go to town on it and are reliant on pre-defined combo's to read the spread so you don't need too much knowledge of the individual cards that way.
 

obeygravity

I'm admittedly a pretty visual reader and basically only use decks that can clearly tell a story. It's almost all intuitive for me so it's always clear when I have a deck that just doesn't work because it simply speaks a different language than me. I often times prefer the intuitive path as it also opens your mind to the different ways a card can be read.

For example, I have one deck where there are certain cards that intuitively give a very specific answer/energy. While I may list the cards out and they may seem promising, the way the energy flows will ultimately give a different story.

Like I've done readings on whether a job opportunity would pan out for someone. Say I drew Knight of Pentacles + Seven of Wands + Ace of Pentacles. At first glance this might seem like a clear YES you'll get the job offer, that your persistence (Knight of Pentacles) and Hard Work (Seven of Wands) will literally give you that opportunity for that coin in your purse (Ace of Pentacles. However, with this deck, nine times out of ten it would be a No, as the Knight of Pentacles in this deck is often times immovable, disinterested and at worse, highly defensive towards any attempts at swaying him, so regardless of what you may try to push through (Seven of Wands) to get the opportunity (Ace of Pentacles), you'll still be denied (Knight of Pentacles).

Obviously not everyone is an intuitive reade or that every intuitive reader reads the same. Some people take elemental dignities into consideration (I tend to so even in the above example I'd see No as the Fire from the Wands is put out by all of the dry earth) while others read purely by definition and see how they interact from there. But it's all about learning to see what method works best for you and to figure out what way helps things click more clearly.