Card Pairs

A tarot reading is a map of all the counterbalancing tendencies that are or could be operating in your life at one time. To read this map, you must understand the Law of Opposition - that any quality, once identified, implies its opposite.

At the deepest level, opposition does not exist. There is just Oneness, but, in physical life, we perceive Oneness as broken up into countless different energies. These are the forces we navigate in our search for balance.

One way to discover your balance issues is by looking for two cards in a reading that oppose each other. One meaning of the Eight of Swords is restriction - being trapped in an oppressive or limiting situation. If you ponder this meaning for awhile, you realize that simply by acknowledging the idea of restriction, you imply the opposing idea of freedom - the breaking out of bonds and limitations. This quality is represented by the Four of Wands.

In a tarot reading, these two cards could be showing you the importance of the restriction/freedom issue in your life.

Permanent Pairs

Court Card and Ace Pairs

You can create a pair between any two court cards or two Aces. These pairs reflect the balance patterns that emerge when you contrast two suits or ranks.

Consider the King of Pentacles and the Queen of Cups. Here are the keywords for these cards:

Card	Meanings	Picture
King of Pentacles	enterprising adept reliable supporting steady
Queen of Cups	emotional tenderhearted intuitive psychic

The King of Pentacles acts outwardly (King) in an enterprising, adept way based on his interest in the material world (Pentacles). The Queen of Cups has an inner focus (Queen) that is emotional and intuitive based on her concern with feelings (Cups).

In a reading, this pair could represent a conflict between two people. This pair could also represent a dual approach within you

Occasional Pairs

You can interpret any two cards as a pair, even if their meanings are not clearly opposites. There is so much meaning in every card that useful comparisons can almost always be made. Occasional pairs arise by chance, and their relationship lasts for only that one instance.

You might see these two cards as defining the opposites of "being alone" or "being with others." This understanding might occur to you out of the blue as a possibility.

Reinforcing Pairs

Two cards do not have to oppose each other to form a pair. They can reinforce each other.

Balance issues are everywhere. Your tarot readings can help you identify them through the action of card pairs

• TAROT LESSONS
• Tarot lessons, lesson 1 tarot: introduction to the tarot;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 2 tarot: the major arcana;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 3 tarot: the minor arcana;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 4 tarot: the spread;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 5 tarot: the daily reading;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 6 tarot: the environment inner and outer;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 7 tarot: writing a question;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 8 tarot: the question reading;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 9 tarot: the other reading;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 10 tarot: the open reading;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 11 tarot: interpreting a single card;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 12 tarot: major and minor arcana cards;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 13 tarot: aces;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 14 tarot: court cards;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 15 tarot: card pairs;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 16 tarot: position pairs in the celtic cross spread;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 17 tarot: reversed cards;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 18 tarot: creating the story;
• Tarot lessons, lesson 19 tarot: some final thoughts;