Conflicting Card Meanings & the Rolodex Technique

I may be dating myself with this metaphor, but so be it! Back in the olden times we had these nifty contraptions called rolodexes. An unfurled binder of cards arranged by alphabet, you’d write people’s contact information - phone number, address, etc. - on a card. Sitting by your rotary landline phone you could flip through the rolodex, find the number of the person you wanted to dial, and spin away.

Rolodexes have gone by the wayside (so much so, that I couldn’t find a stock image of one - hence the book above) but they’e a useful framework when it comes to tarot meanings. Let me explain.

You may have gotten or conducted a reading that referenced a book almost exclusively. This happens a lot in the beginning stage of learning tarot and is where people often get overwhelmed. It’s 78 cards! That’s a huge volume of images and meanings to become familiar with. The fact that almost all tarot books and little white books (the ones that come with the decks) feature multiple and sometimes contradictory meanings makes the challenge feel nearly insurmountable. How can you create a coherent reading when the meanings are so divergent?

A book-based reading might go something like this:

“So, you have the Knight of Cups here, which means a romantic person with youthful energy coming into your life. This person is charming and mercurial but also could be noncommittal and casually cruel. It’s a time of great romance and adventure but also heartrending emotion. Oh, and this could be about you. Beware of making rash decisions, but also immerse yourself in creative projects and adventures you’ve never tried before.”

Huh?

In this reading, the person is throwing the kitchen sink at the card, actually reading the entire entry verbatim. This makes sense if you’re thinking about the content of tarot books as definitive; say, an entry in a dictionary.

But tarot is an art form not a linguistic system. It’s poetic, not literal, and relies as much on the readers’ intuition and the present moment to unfurl into something transformative and impactful. In other words, you can’t just string definitions together.

Which is where the rolodex comes in.

Instead of treating your readings as a grammatical problem, one where you can consult your dictionary and insert its meaning without much thought or art, think of it as a line of contact with the cards themselves, each being a gateway into whole worlds of meaning.

Over the years you’ll be collecting all sorts of meanings, associations, and experiences with the cards. These are like numbers, addresses, and emails in your rolodex. Each is different but goes to the same place. The Five of Cups can be grief and it can also be release, an emotional turning point, and an old wound. Among any number of other things. Each time you read will be different. Maybe you’ll only need one entry in your rolodex, maybe you’ll need several in a reading. But you certainly won’t need the whole bunch. (Trust me, you’ll have a lot of options as you continue your studies.)

What’s important in this system is that you realize you’re the one making contact with the cards. You’re the reader and your knowledge, intuition, and awareness guides the reading. Yes, it’s more responsibility, but it’s also a lot more empowering, enjoyable and coherent than reading entire lists of meanings at yourself or your querent.

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Want to learn more about how to use this technique? Ready to start your tarot journey? I’m now offering one-on-one lessons at a discounted rate. Book now or reach out with any questions, and do let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Signs You're Leveling-Up in your Tarot Practice

Leveling-up in tarot feels like reaching a new peak with its own fresh vista

The initial steps to learning tarot are obvious. First, what on earth are these cards all about? Second, what do they all mean?

Since there are 78 cards to go through, this stage can take some time. But what about that next phase, when you’ve gotten a handle on the cards themselves and are starting to become fluent in tying them together? How can you tell when you’re starting to master tarot?

I have a hunch that this is the time when most people burn out or take a break which is why I’m writing this post. After all, it’s nice to have some affirmation and motivation in this murkier stage of learning to read.

I’d also like to mention that there is no such thing as becoming an expert at tarot. We become more comfortable and fluent, but tarot is truly an art and in-the-moment practice.

We’re never done learning and we’re always on our toes, treating each reading as a new horizon. There are, however, some signs that you’re really getting the hang of things. Here’s a list of moments when I knew my practice went beyond the meanings in the books and into something more personal, powerful, and solid.

1. You can get the gist of a reading without reasoning through it - You might not even notice this happening (that’s the tricky thing about intuition, isn’t it?) but you’re sensing the overarching theme and story of your reading before your brain can catch up and psych you out with analysis and thoughts like “but is that what my book says about the Ten of Pentacles???”

2. You don’t look at the cards like they have one “right” meaning - You might find this feels sacrilegious at first. Maybe there’s an itchiness present when you return to the LWB’s write-ups. This is a good sign! You’re starting to see the poetry of tarot and how each card is more of a gateway to worlds of meaning rather than a road that dead-ends at a single destination.

3. In fact, right and wrong become deeply boring to you - Tarot is meant to expand our understanding. If you’re feeling like an explorer in a new land when you read, you’ve become fluent enough to step aside and let them lead the way out of fear, the desire for control, and the pressure of judgment.

4. You can call up the images of the cards in your mind - Speaking of fluency, this was probably the biggest moment for me in my practice. I’d test myself to envision the Six of Wands, say, when someone mentioned it. As soon as I could conjure the entire deck, I knew that tarot was woven into my consciousness thoroughly. See if you can bring up the whole deck for yourself.

5. You see tarot in your everyday life - Now the concepts of the cards are alive and out and about in your life. If you find yourself seeing the themes of tarot "in real life” you’re not just reading tarot, you’re living it. Congratulations!

6. You begin to develop a personal dictionary of meanings and associations - Rather than sticking to the book, you start to add to it, creating a tarot tome of your own. The experiences you have start to build on your understanding of the cards. Strength becomes not just a symbol of perseverance and self-awareness, but also a container for the times in your life when you’ve had to struggle with yourself. The specificity makes your readings more powerful and personal.

Another note here: there is absolutely no set time in which this can happen. Some of us move fast and others, like me, take a long time to integrate and explore. And, as I always say, you never stop learning tarot, so enjoy the ride and keep seeking!

Learning Tarot: "When Will I Memorize All These Cards???"

So you've just started learning tarot. The images and symbols are fascinating and you're captivated potential for self-discovery and exploration. The cards look somewhat familiar, kind of like a deck of playing cards. But wait - there's twenty two more cards, plus extra court cards? "How on earth will I memorize all this?" you might ask. 

Sitting down before a full deck of tarot cards can be daunting when you're first learning. I've been there - you want to jump right in and do lots of readings! Without having to consult the book (or books and websites) you've been reading. Add to that the many different interpretations for each card and we have a recipe for overwhelm.

But before you get frustrated I want to let you in on a little secret. I've been reading tarot for over half my life now and I still don't know all the meaning to the cards. Of course I'm proficient in each and can string them together in a plethora of ways, but I will never know everything about tarot. And want to know something else? That's what I love most about it.

Tarot is both a system of divination with a rich history and a constantly growing field. Meanings are created, shed, and reformed constantly. The topography is always changing and each reader discovers new meanings and connections throughout their practice.

You might be thinking, "well, thanks, that's not reassuring at all," and I get that. Tarot's fluid nature can be frustrating, especially since we're used to certainty and mastery. We're accustomed to having someone plop a few books down in front of us, give us a clearly outlined course of study, and, once we've grasped all of that, provide us with a diploma or certification at the end. 

I'd like to invite you to step away from this framework when it comes to your tarot studies. There's something comforting in the endless potential in the cards. It's not our goal to be come the absolute expert of tarot (besides, that's impossible), but to become fluent in its language. Embracing tarot as a journey can be immensely freeing. It's not our goal to memorize ourselves into expertise, but rather to be open to all forms of meanings - traditional, esoteric, intuitive, and personal - and engage with tarot in the moment, as an art form and not rote memorization. 

In other words, we can free ourselves from the expectation that we'll "know it all," especially when we start learning. Without this baggage of expectation, it's a lot easier to explore and have fun when we approach the cards. 

I also think this opens us up to experimentation. Sure, book leaning is richly rewarding, but it doesn't touch the true depth of tarot readings. That only comes through practice. Supplement your studies with real life readings, whether they're for yourself, others, or both. You'll be surprised to find that your familiarity with the cards grows quickly this way, even without you realizing it. Think of it as the experience of reading "six of cups: nostalgia, warm feelings, tender relationships," in a book versus having the card come up for a friend reconnecting with their childhood confidant. I bet the second will stay with you much longer, giving you an experience to tie the meaning of the card to as you read in other situations.

So relax and open yourself up to the ever-expanding world of opportunity within tarot. You'll become comfortable with each and every card in the deck over time. Until then, engage with them creatively, using both books and your own experiences. If I can say one thing about tarot it's that it's never boring. You have a lifetime worth of discovery ahead of you so throw the pressure and desire to rush forward out the window and relax into the exciting world of the cards.