Okay so lemme tell you how I finally cracked this dragon tarot thing. Honestly? It felt like wrestling an actual fire-breathing beast at first. I bought this super cool deck ages ago, right? All fierce dragons and mythical landscapes on the cards. Looked amazing on my shelf, collecting dust.
Where I Totally Got Stuck
So, last week, I decided enough was enough. Gotta actually use these beauties, not just admire ’em. Pulled the deck out. Shuffled. Fanned ’em out… and boom. Total brain freeze. That Knight of Wands card? Had a dragon riding a meteor or somethin’ crazy. What did that even mean? The book it came with? Super dense, pages and pages about archetypes and Jungian blah blah. My eyes just glazed over. Felt like I needed a PhD just to do a simple reading. Frustrating as heck.
The “Duh” Moment That Changed Everything
Sitting there annoyed, I had a simple thought. Dragons are characters, man! Like in stories. Big, powerful personalities. The Major Arcana dragons? They’re the big bosses, the life-changing forces. The Court Cards? That’s the dragon crew – Kings, Queens, Knights, Pages. The Minor Arcana? The everyday stuff happening to those dragons.
Started flipping through the cards again, but this time imagining:
- The Emperor Dragon? Big guy in charge, sitting on his hoard. All about control and order. Simple!
- That Knight of Wands meteor rider? Pure action hero dragon. Charging in, super passionate, maybe a bit reckless.
- Three of Cups? Three dragons partying! Friendship, celebration, good times. Easy vibe.
- Ten of Swords? Oof. Dragon looking pretty beat up, swords everywhere. Tough time, rock bottom feeling.
How I Practice Now (Much Easier!)
Instead of memorizing a hundred meanings? I look at the picture and ask myself:
- What’s this dragon doing? (Flying? Guarding? Sleeping? Fighting?)
- How’s it feeling? (Powerful? Angry? Sad? Happy? Scared?)
- What’s the setting? (Sky? Cave? Battlefield? Peaceful field?)
Then I think about suits:
- Wands: Dragons doing stuff! Energy, action, passion, new ideas.
- Cups: Dragons feeling stuff. Emotions, love, intuition, dreams.
- Swords: Dragons thinking stuff. Thoughts, challenges, communication, truth.
- Pentacles: Dragons having stuff. Work, money, health, practical things.
Seriously, It Works!
Yesterday I did a reading about my new blog idea. Pulled the Queen of Wands. Saw her dragon sitting confidently, sun blazing, looking fierce and creative. Didn’t need a book! Screamed “Confidence! Leadership! Creative fire! Go for it!” Felt way more natural and real than flipping through pages trying to decode “fiery feminine principle”. Done wrestling. Now I’m just enjoying the dragon ride. Way, way easier.
