The Struggle to Keep it Simple
A while back, I tried to make daily tarot pulls a real thing. I’m talking about actual, dedicated practice, not just shuffling cards while waiting for the kettle to boil. But let me tell you, trying to integrate serious spiritual work into a schedule that already feels like it’s chasing its own tail is a recipe for disaster. I realized I was setting myself up for failure right out of the gate.
I started off like everyone else, digging into these massive, complicated spreads. I pulled a textbook that suggested the ten-card Celtic Cross for deep morning insight. Ten cards! By the time I had laid them all out, cross-referenced the reversals, and tried to weave some sort of coherent narrative, forty-five minutes had gone by. Forty-five minutes before I even had my first cup of coffee. That just ain’t sustainable, man.
I started feeling the dread. The practice itself became a chore. I’d look at the deck on my desk, think about the time commitment, and just skip it. Days turned into weeks. It became one more thing I was failing at, and the whole point of daily guidance is to feel supported, not judged.
This is exactly why I had to strip it down. I needed something quick, effective, and crucially, something that generated an immediate, actionable result. If I couldn’t understand it in under five minutes, it was useless for a daily pull. So, I grabbed a notepad and designed my own daily framework. It had to be four cards. Four felt right—not too sparse, not overwhelming. It had to cover the basic arc of my upcoming day.
Defining the Four Pillars of Guidance
My goal was to filter out the noise and figure out three basic things every morning: What should I focus on? What’s going to get in the way? And what’s the immediate advice to navigate it? I didn’t bother with fancy names for the positions; I just called them what they were designed to do. I wanted pure utility.
I defined the four cards like this:
- Card 1: The Energy of the Day (The Focus). This is the dominant theme. It tells me where my mental energy should be directed. If it’s the Queen of Swords, I know I need to be sharp and objective. If it’s the 4 of Wands, I know I should be looking for collaboration or celebration.
- Card 2: The Obstacle (The Challenge). Every day has a speed bump, right? This card shows me where I’m most likely to get tripped up. Knowing this upfront lets me mentally prepare to sidestep the drama before it even starts.
- Card 3: The Best Action (The Strategy). This is the advice card. Given the energy and the obstacle, what is the single best approach I can take today? This is the most important card because it’s the instruction manual.
- Card 4: The Immediate Outcome (The Result). This isn’t a prediction of next year, it’s just the flavor of what happens if I follow Card 3’s advice and navigate Card 2. It gives me a quick look at the mood I’ll end the day with.
The Five-Minute Daily Routine
I implemented this system immediately, and the results were drastically better because I never felt pressured to skip a day. It takes about five minutes, maybe seven if I really want to log a quick thought.
The whole routine is driven by action verbs. First thing in the morning, right after I’ve turned off the alarm, I grab the deck—usually an old Rider-Waite, because I know those symbols backward and forward. I shuffle for exactly 60 seconds. I don’t mess around trying to get a perfect riffle; a chaotic overhand shuffle works just fine. The intent is what matters.
Then, I cut the deck once, and from the top stack, I pull the four cards one by one, laying them out in a straight line, left to right, corresponding to the four positions I defined. I don’t bother with spreads that require turning cards this way or that way.
Next, I interpret them fast. I don’t drag out the guidebook unless I get a really weird minor arcana card that throws me off. I just use the core meaning. If I see the 5 of Pentacles in the Challenge spot, I know the challenge is going to be feeling isolated or worrying about resources. If I see Strength in the Strategy spot, the advice is clear: be patient and compassionate, but stand your ground.
Finally, the record-keeping. I open a simple text file on my phone and log the date and the four card names—no long winded descriptions necessary. I then write down one single sentence summarizing the action I need to take based on the Strategy card. It’s a commitment for the day. For example: “Be firm on boundaries today, especially around new projects.”
I noticed that when I focused on this simple, four-card loop, my decisions throughout the workday became incredibly sharp. I wasn’t wasting mental energy on things that didn’t matter. If Card 1 was about collaboration, I’d push meetings. If Card 2 was about conflict, I’d preemptively address tension before it escalated. This system completely cut through the spiritual fluff and gave me the practical tool I needed to just get through the day successfully. That’s the easy way, man. Anything more complicated, and you’re just wasting daylight.
