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Step 1
Study the spread, using your intuition to pull a wider meaning from the overall spread in light of the issue raised by the seeker. Over time, you will become more skillful at intuiting the message of the cards and their relationships with one another.
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Step 2
Think about the seeker's issue and the spread as a story. Consider the meaning of each card and look for the patterns that emerge among the cards, telling a whole story. Interpreting Tarot is a skill to master and a gift to bring to seekers.
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Step 3
Strive for accuracy. When a card emerges with stronger meaning than the rest of the spread, study that card. Be sure to interpret its meaning within the context of the rest of the spread and the insight being sought. It can be tempting to interpret a strong card in itself, such as Death, disregarding the spread as a whole, which leads to an inaccurate interpretation.
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Step 4
Pay attention to Major Arcana cards. Cards such as the Sun, Death, the Fool and the rest are archetypes and, therefore, when present in a spread, are considered as primary indicators. Although you still will interpret the meaning of the entire spread, Major Arcana cards have powerful value to your interpretation. Change likely is on the horizon for the seeker.
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Step 5
Read the details of the issue in Minor Arcana cards. The majority of cards in a Tarot deck are Minor Arcana cards, divided according to suits. Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles hold keys to insights regarding the specifics of an issue. If a spread is predominantly Minor Arcana cards, or if there are no Major Arcana cards, the issue may be interpreted as details that support larger issues, not relevant at the time. Remind your seeker that the big picture represented by Major Arcana cards are comprised of the details found in the Minor Arcana.
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Step 6
Look for a majority of cards from a single suit. That suit, Cups, for example, and its element, Water, holds great meaning for the issue. Here, the seeker's emotional life and his relationships are at the fore. Swords/Air indicate conflict and the mind. Pentacles, with its Earth emphasis, indicates the material world, possible possessions. Wands/Fire suggest forward movement, action that needs to be taken.
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Step 7
Interpret Reversed cards, which reveal blockages, struggle or confusion. If a card that normally is difficult or challenging is reversed, the seeker may be emerging from that challenge. The Major Arcana card, The Fool, reversed can mean draining finances or perhaps blocked possibilities.
