My Actual 5 Card Tarot Reading Practice
So today I grabbed my Rider-Waite deck – the one with the worn edges – cause I wanted to test this simple 5-card spread for clarity. Felt kinda restless, needed some direction on this side project I’m stuck on.
First things first, I cleared the space. Just swept crumbs off my desk, lit this tiny beeswax candle I have. Took a few deep breaths, tried to quiet my buzzing thoughts about deadlines. Focused on my question: “What should I focus on next to move this project forward?” Didn’t overthink it, just held that in mind.
Shuffling felt clumsy at first. Cards were sliding everywhere! I slowed down, concentrated on my question, letting the cards slide through my fingers until it felt right to stop. Split the deck once, then pulled five cards from the top, laying them left to right like this:
- Position 1: Past influence affecting the situation.
- Position 2: Current challenge.
- Position 3: Advice for moving forward.
- Position 4: Potential outcome if advice is followed.
- Position 5: Hidden factor/deeper context.
Flipped card one: The Hermit. Made sense – been working solo for ages, kinda isolated. Okay, past vibes checked. Card two: Seven of Cups. Ugh, spot on. I’m drowning in ideas, options – totally scattered, can’t pick a path. That’s DEFINITELY the current mess.
Got hopeful flipping card three: Queen of Pentacles. Practicality! Grounding! Felt like a direct slap: “Stop floating in idea-land, get practical, build something real.” Could almost hear it.
Card four surprised me: Ten of Pentacles. Stability, legacy kinda vibes. If I take the Queen’s advice and get hands-on? Suggests this could actually build into something lasting and secure. Nice little boost!
Saved the best/worst for last? Card five: The Tower (reversed!). Freaked me out initially. But reversed? Feels less “sudden disaster,” more like… maybe I’m clinging to a flawed structure/approach. Hints that the main blockage is resisting necessary change, even small shifts. Deeper context is my own resistance to practical steps.
Putting it together felt obvious: The Hermit says my solo grind led to this overwhelming mess (7 Cups). The Queen demands practical, grounded work. If I do that (Queen), the Ten of Pentacles hints at solid results. BUT the Tower reversed screams that my stubborn habit of over-planning instead of doing is the real trap.
So my takeaway? Seriously dumb I needed cards to tell me this, but: Drop the overwhelming options list. Pick one concrete, practical step related to the project today. Just one. Build from there. Ignore the Tower-reversed wobble? I will be knocked over, but probably by my own inertia if I ignore the Queen.
