Exercises - Lesson 11

Interpreting a Single Card

Exercise 1 Tarot - Your Personal Reactions to a Card

Choose any card from the tarot deck. Look at it carefully and then write down your response. Consider whatever comes to mind to be your personal reaction. Some elements to think about are:

1. What feeling do I sense in the card scene?
2. What feeling do I sense in myself when I see this card?
3. Am I attracted, repelled or neutral about this card?
4. What aspect of my life comes to mind when I see this card?
5. Does this card remind me of someone?

You may not feel any reaction to the card, or perhaps just a mild one. Try to notice any quick thought, feeling or image that comes to mind, no matter how slight.

Exercise 2 Tarot - Combining Sources of Meaning

Choose a card from the tarot deck, and read over its keywords and actions. Try to get a feel for the card's essential meaning.

Imagine that your card has appeared in Position 1 of a Celtic Cross reading. How do the card and position meanings work together to create a composite?

Select a possibility that appeals to you and makes sense. Your sentence doesn't have to relate to your own life in any way as this exercise is just practice.

For example, the Emperor stands for

• fathering
• structure
• authority
• regulation

Some choices for this card in Position 1 might be:

• Right now, the heart of the matter (Position 1) is that there is too much structure (Emperor) in my life.
• My present environment (Position 1) is very regulated and controlled (Emperor).

These sentences are all different, but each one blends the meanings of the Emperor and Position 1.

Exercise 3 Tarot - Interpreting Single Cards in Celtic Cross Readings

Use your ongoing Celtic Cross readings as an opportunity to practice combining the four sources of meaning:

• personal reaction
• card meanings
• position meanings
• question or situation

Be systematic at first about considering each of these areas so they become second nature to you. Try writing a sentence for each card.

• TAROT EXERCISES
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 1 tarot: introduction to the tarot;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 2 tarot: the major arcana;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 3 tarot: the minor arcana;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 4 tarot: the spread;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 5 tarot: the daily reading;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 6 tarot: the environment;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 7 tarot: writing a question;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 8 tarot: the question reading;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 9 tarot: the other reading;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 10 tarot: the open reading;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 11 tarot: interpreting a single card;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 12 tarot: major and minor arcana cards;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 13 tarot: aces;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 14 tarot: court cards;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 15 tarot: card pairs;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 16 tarot: position pairs in the celtic cross
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 17 tarot: reversed cards;
• Tarot exercises, exercises lesson 18 tarot: creating the story;