
Post 4 - Reading for Someone Else
It’s easy enough to do a reading about someone else, but for someone else is a totally different ballgame. Whether you’re a professional, or someone who’s been reading a while helping a friend out by guiding them through a reading, sometimes you find someone else touching your cards.
A majority of my research this week ended up pertaining to how one reads for a client rather than for themselves, and it was more intuitive than instructional. Tarot is often affiliated with the profession of fortune telling, but there are also professional tarot readers. It’s got a dedicated clietle, and tends to attract those looking for spiritual guidance, so I was really surprised by the difficulty I had trying to find instructions on how to read for someone else. There’s plenty of resources telling you how to read for someone not present if you’re worried or curious about them, and a few that tell you how to get started, but fewer that describe how to interact with your client. Aside from ‘know the meanings’, which was a resounding consensus, it was difficult to get any sort of helpful advice in terms of how much control the client should have, what sort of questions to ask them, even if they should be the one shuffling the deck! Very little content on how to guide them in the right directions. Reading through Fenton-Smith helped, as he often gives anecdotes of himself and clients in his book, which helped me to at least infer how to interact with a client and what questions to ask them.
I eventually figured out that, yes, the client should shuffle the deck. Fenton-Smith always let the customer decide what the reading should be about, and prompted them to make links between the cards and their situations as well as weighing in with his own knowledge and associations with the cards and decks. With this in mind, I found someone willing to be my guinea pig and we began.
After I gave it a thorough shuffle, I asked Jenson to mess around with the cards a bit to charge them with their energy. It was interesting handing my deck over and instructing Jenson in shuffling them. Even that was an experience. “If you’re getting your cards read by someone, your literal only job is to pick cards, and shuffle the deck, and maybe channel your energy toward the process.” (Garis, M.G. 2019), but it’s a little more complex than that. How you handle your cards is pretty important. My mother insists that it’s bad luck to expose your cards to sunlight, and several of my friends who read insist that you shouldn’t let someone else handle your cards if it isn’t for reading. Fenton-Smith insists you use “the hand you don’t write with” (2008) for shuffling and drawing. As far as I understand, the left-handed thing is largely due to tradition, but some believe that there is a spiritual reason towards using one hand or the other. Garis quotes spiritual advisor, Alexis Alvarez: ”Traditionally, card readers would use their left hand to control the shuffle and deal the cards because the left side of the body is associated with feminine, intuitive, and receptive energy, [...] Others believe you should shuffle and deal with your non-dominant hand. Most people are right-hand dominant, so that still means using the left hand to shuffle.” (2019) I’ve always shuffled with my left because that’s what I was taught but explaining this to Jenson ended up being both a moment that broke the ice and launched a discussion about dominant hands, spirituality, and sports, oddly enough.
With the cards shuffled, we ended up doing two readings. A single card cut and a three fates, both readings pertaining to separate subjects.
Single Cut Reading:
When I asked Jenson what they wanted to ask, they said they wanted to “start simple” and asked “will I fail this semester?”. A pretty weighty question to start, but a good tarot question, I’m learning. Open enough for the cards to give advice, and involved in a lot of personal contexts, but ultimately something of which many elements the client has control over. After giving a disclaimer that I take no responsibility for what the cards say or what actually happens come June, we began.
Single card cuts involve splitting the deck and taking a card based on intuition whilst thinking of or asking a yes or no question. These are good for quick readings or readings that you aren’t putting too much weight on. The nature of tarot means that you likely will not get a simple affirmative or negative, there will be a littlemore nuance to the answer, but the answer is rarely too in depth. I gave Jenson a few tips on how to cut the deck, but let their intuition shape the experience. They ended up drawing Justice.
Justice
Justice is a card of as one might guess, justice. Making a just decision and achieving deserved success through clear thought. It also emphasises the importance of owning your actions and considering their consequences. Success is not guaranteed, and if you have acted poorly those consequences will come back to bite you. “She holds a sword in her right hand, showing the logical, well-ordered mindset necessary to dispense fair justice. The sword points upwards – expressing a firm and final decision – and the double-edged blade signifies that our actions always carry consequences.” (Justice Tarot Card Meanings, n.d.)
Before giving them the official meaning, I tried to have them emulate what was advised for me to do when I was learning, which was to describe the card with no preconceptions.
Me: “Look at the card. Take in the colours, the picture. Try not to extrapolate meaning for now, just tell me the vibes you’re getting.”
Jenson: “I feel like it’s telling me that I’m overthinking this.” (J. London, personal communication, 21 May, 2021)
After that, I described the meanings of the card, and the repeated emphasis on both clear thought with an undercurrent of impartiality and consequences stood out to both of us. The woman in the card holds a sword, which represents thought in the tarot. The sword is pointed upwards, but is double edged, which means it is capable of cutting you as much as it is through the opposition or problem. Still, justice is a card of overcoming that double edge and the bias of the scales to dispense just reward and punishment.
In the end, we came to the consensus that the answer was yes. All the resources were there, and Jenson is easily smart enough to pass. If they neglect their work, or overthink it too much, there will be consequences, as evidenced by the scale and the sword, but Justice Is a card that indicates success through clear thought, so as long as they keep a level head, odds are good. This reading ended up having immediate payoff, as Jenson received an A in formative feedback for a class mere hours later.

Three Fates Reading:
After the first reading, I asked Jenson if they wanted to go again with a slightly more in depth reading, and if they wanted to ask a slightly more involved question. I recommended something on their mind, or that had been bothering them. Eventually they asked the cards if they should reconnect with an old friend (who they and I will refer to as 32) or not. I asked how comprehensive a reading they wanted, and they said three fates should be fine, so we proceeded.
The Past: King of Pentacles (Inverted)
The king of pentacles is good with money, has an abundance of the material, and is happy with his assets. However, inverted they become greedy, stubborn, and selfish, taking the material with little regard for others. “The King of Pentacles reversed may also signify that your definition of success and happiness is only determined by outer appearances, and not by the true value that security and stability can bring to you. “ (King of Pentacles Meaning - Tarot Card Meanings, 2017.)
The Present: The Moon
The moon is “the Major Arcana Tarot card of intuition”. (The Moon Tarot Card Meaning, n.d.) and usually shows up when something’s a bit off. This could be because something’s unsettled in your gut, ot it could be because old memories and lessons are making your mind work and unsettling you. “The Moon can also signify dormant insecurities or repressed issues resurfacing. The Moon Tarot card can represent underhanded or dodgy deals or illegal behaviour. If it appears in this context it is a warning to clean your act up before your behaviour is exposed.” (The Moon Tarot Card Meaning, n.d.). The moon can mean that something is literally happening under the cover of night, either literally or metaphorically (someone’s keeping a secret from you).
The Future: Three of Cups
The threes all represent growth, and in the case of the Three of Cups, it’s emotional growth. It depicts three people meeting and cheering, which is also its most common meaning. A gathering or celebration of at least three people. “They look to one another with appreciation, honour and respect, and are bound by their emotional connection and friendship.” (Three of Cups Tarot Card Meanings, n.d.). It is specifically people that you are happy to be with though, specifically a joyous occasion. So, it can occasionally mean cutting people away, which also involves emotional growth, just in a different way.
In the end we surmised that yes, there had been issues in the past, on both ends. The inverted King of Pentacles represented them both, in a way. While there was stubbornness on both sides, ultimately they stopped talking because 32 wasn’t able to respect Jenson’s ‘things’ in terms of spiritual and identity exploration, and wanted to force them down the path that 32 had found peace in rather than allowing them to explore from themselves. Contention over things that were metaphysical, and spiritual disagreements. Pentacles usually deal in the material, but upon telling them that the king represents someone “impatient” or someone “who is not very careful with your things” (Fenton-Smith 2008) Jenson replied with “there it is”. Sometimes the connection made is more important than the exact meaning. The Moon in the present position places an emphasis on dreams, intuition, fears, but also can simply imply that things happened or will happen at night. Through some prompting, we managed to work out that Jenson is afraid, not only of the past repeating itself in the case of 32, but also a new acquaintance that reminds them of 32 and the situation that caused them to drift apart. Their intuition is telling them something is up. Jenson did later in the reading confirm that many of the inciting incidents for this internal conflict also happened at night. This reflects their current situation. The three of Cups in future position represents a happy reunion, or a gathering in celebration. However that doesn’t necessarily mean that Jenson should reunite with 32 or try and consolidate with the other acquaintance. I suggested that it might be a sign that it’s time to trim some fat socially, and cut their friend group down to the people that actually make them happy. In the end Jenson decided to give 32 a chance, but started pulling away from the acquaintance.



Reflections
Technical
These are more about the cards themselves, the meanings that they have, and my skill in memorizing and associating them.
When reading for someone else, technical skill is paramount. “You must understand the nuances of meaning for each card in different placements and in relation to different topics.” (Professional Tarot Readers: 8 Must-Have Skills., 2019). You don’t have time to refer to a guide, and even though I had to a couple of times, I can absolutely see why. Not only did it feel very unprofessional, but all of the cards have several meanings and you have to start listing them rapid fire and see if anything sticks with the client. While the reader has some idea of the client’s situation as you ask them what you want to do a reading on, you uncover context as you go. Not only that, but you also need to be able to guide someone who knows less than you do through the process of the reading, including base reading. Having them look at the image and the colours and feel the cards is something that you already need to be intimately familiar with in order to be of any help to them as they try to navigate. My associations with the cards are so much better, which was good as I had less time to consult external material. I was able to intue a lot of meaning out of Justice and The Moon without referring to material, even if I didn’t make the fear connection with the moon right away.
I am thankful that we went for simple card readings, because I can't imagine doing this with a celtic cross with so many placements and factors to keep track of. That said, I think I did okay especially in the case of the three fates. Finding meaning in the past, present, and future cards proved a tantalizing challenge. I am particularly proud of the conclusion we reached in regards to the Three of Cups in the Future Position. The card does not necessarily imply a reunion in the future, but that when Jensen had taken the appropriate actions, when they meet with their fellows it will be with people that they actually want to spend time with.
Reflection through Reading
This is more about my performance, and how I interpreted the cards and linked them to my personal circumstances to find meaning and advice for self-reflection
In some ways, reading for someone else means that reflection is easy, because you are not expected to make most of the connections. There’s no need to scour the cards for meaning until you feel like you have a plan of action. However, when you’re performing a reading for someone else what’s expected of you is technical knowledge enough that you are able to help your client find their own connections. You have to work out what your client needs, all while working with a lack of context. For obvious reasons, you can’t pry too hard about the personal lives of others, but the means that the majority of the connection-making has to be done by the client. This is fine if the connections are obvious, but less so if they are not. This was especially obvious in the second reading. While I’m proud of the job I did, it was also very difficult. In the three fates reading, Jenson was unsure if the inverted King of Pentacles represented themself, or the subject of the reading, or both. Because I didn’t know about the context of their relationship, all I could do was keep prompting them with technical meanings and implications until they make their own connections. Hopefully by the end, you’re able to guide them to a place of reflection that they feel happy with. In the case of the second reading, by the end of the session, Jenson was able to make a plan about how to move forward with the issue.
Me: “Do you feel like you got something out of that?”
Jenson: “Yeah, I did.” (J. London, personal communication, 21 May, 2021)
It’s also interesting to note that the three fates reading grew to encapsulate an issue that was related, but not initially asked about, in the form of the acquaintance. This goes to show how the tarot effectively allows one to self reflect and draw out the underlying issues and concerns when we face a problem.
Variable
Consider how the variable may have impacted my method and results.
It is honestly hard to say if reading for someone else is more or less involved on a technical level. On one hand, the other person does a lot of the work, on the other you need to be able to syphon the meanings down to what’s relevant when the subject of the reading isn’t your own experience, meaning to need to know them better. However you also need to keep the meanings open enough that the client can see relevance in them to their situation. It’s an exercise in asking the right questions and prompting the right way. I needed to know enough about the cards that I could bounce off my client without planting ideas in their head, but inform them enough that they could find their own conclusions. Because I wasn’t drawing from my own personal experiences, the reading took a lot longer than I’m used to. It involved a lot of listening with a bit of prompting, defining the cards and exploring different avenues that they lead down to see if anything connected. I made connections, but also had to wait for my client to provide both context and for them to make their own decisions about the card’s meanings. It took a little bit of fiddling to find how The Moon fit in the three fates reading, as it puts an emphasis on dreams and trusting what they’re telling you, which wasn’t relevant. But when we caught onto the slightly more literal meaning of fear keeping them up at night, it lead us to the moon’s secondary meaning, pertaining to fears, which Jenson described as “scarily accurate”. (J. London, personal communication, 21 May, 2021)
Reading for someone else was a time consuming but really fun exercise. It prompted some deep and interesting discussions between us, and I feel like we both got something out of it in terms of spiritual satisfaction. “After this I could really see myself getting into hardcore paganisim.” Jenson said by the end. “Even after the class is over, if the cards tell you it’s time to do another reading, I’d be down.” (J. London, personal communication, 21 May, 2021)

References:
Fenton-Smith, P. (2008). Tarot revealed. General Books.
Professional Tarot Readers: 8 Must-Have Skills. (2019, February 21). Keen Articles. https://www.keen.com/articles/tarot/eight-skills-you-need-to-be-a-professional-tarot-reader
Garis, M.G. (2019). Learn How to Shuffle Tarot Cards for the Most on-Point Reading—No Fancy Tricks or Magic Required. From: Well + Good. Retrieved May 22, 2021, from: https://www.wellandgood.com/how-to-shuffle-tarot-cards/
Justice Tarot Card Meanings. (n.d.). Biddy Tarot. Retrieved May 22, 2021, from https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/major-arcana/justice/
King of Pentacles Meaning - Tarot Card Meanings. (2017). Labyrinthos. Retrieved May 23, 2021, from: https://labyrinthos.co/blogs/tarot-card-meanings-list/king-of-pentacles-meaning-tarot-card-meanings
The Moon Tarot Card Meaning. (n.d.). Thetarotguide. Retrieved May 23, 2021, from https://www.thetarotguide.com/the-moon
Three of Cups Tarot Card Meanings. (n.d.). Biddy Tarot. Retrieved May 23, 2021, from https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/minor-arcana/suit-of-cups/three-of-cups/