Single Card Tarot Reading

Intro

This form of tarot reading is a quick and easy way to get a simple answer to any question. These questions can be yes/no or even more detailed – you can ask anything! Often, people will use this method to ask how their day or week will go, but you can ask as simple or as detailed a question you want.

The Method

Same as with any tarot spread, start by having the querent (or yourself) state their question out loud or in their head. Next you or the querent will shuffle the deck, cutting the deck when you are finished (optional).

Once the deck is shuffled, pick your card. If the answer doesn’t seem to make sense or is too vague, you can pull another card for clarification. If you’re still having trouble, it’s best to rephrase the question or simply ask another time. Alternatively, you can perform a more detailed reading, like the Celtic Cross (here), to get a more in depth look to your question.

Example Reading

Here’s a reading I did as an example:

For this reading, the querent asked how the new year would be, collectively as humanity.

My Reading

The card I drew was the Ten of Wands. In this deck, it also represents the Elemental Spirit of Fire.

I used the booklet that comes with the deck for the meaning. This card holds the courage of Aries, creativity of Leo, and vision of Sagittarius. It represents rebirth from the fire and a readiness to confront heroic tasks. 

The fire of the salamander is transformative, releasing the querent’s burdens and responsibilities. Old habits are burning away and new opportunities are visible on the horizon. The querent will have to bear the heat of the current situation while looking ahead to the bright future.

Interpretation: human kind has seen one hell of a year and we are ready to rise up from the fire and ashes to renew ourselves. We are transforming into our newer, better selves having learned much from this past year. Things are going to start looking up and we will be there to seize any opportunities that come our way. The future is bright and we will come out of this renewed.

Next time we’ll talk about some more tarot spreads, so check back soon!

Sources

Steventon, Kay, and Brian Clark. Celestial Tarot. First ed., U.S. GAMES SYSTEMS, INC, 2004.