Meaning of Tarot Cards in Different Positions

Spreads
as Templates

The tarot spread you use is a template. When
you place each card down, you’re plugging those meanings into each spot to form
a timeline or story. The meaning of the card is made more precise when viewed
through the lens of the meaning of the position in the spread.

For example, take apast-present-future spread. That’s three
cards, with the left card meaning past influence, the middle card meaning
present influences or the present situation, and the right-hand card meaning
future influences or circumstances. Your question has to do with what’s causing
a prickly relationship between you and a relative, and you pullthe Empress reversedfor the past card,the Six of Cups
reversed[1]for the present card, andthe Six of Swordsupright for the future card.

The Empress reversed, in isolation, can mean
over-mothering and smothering, a troublesome pregnancy or inability to get
pregnant, and blocked creativity, among other interpretations. So in a spread
where this card is in the past position, there was some influence involving one
of these factors in the past for one or both of you.

Now take a look at the present card, the Six
of Cups reversed. In isolation, this card is about children and memories of
childhood that might not be the happiest (remember, this is the reversed
version). In a position indicating present situations, this card could indicate
that you or your relative is dealing with bad memories. But, when you look at
the card along with the Empress reversed in the past position, it looks more
like there is something in the relationship between you two that involved one
of you possibly smothering the other. Maybe one of you crushed the other’s
artistic dreams years ago, and the resentment is coming to the surface now. Or,
one of you has been treating the other like a child for much too long, and the
“child” is about ready to rebel.

As for the third card, the Six of Swords
upright indicates journeys and recovery, and moving on. In a future position,
it indicates a potential resolution where the disputes are over, so the
relationship moves ahead into calmer waters (many decks show a boat heading
from choppy to peaceful waters on this card). When combined with the other two
cards, you can see that the relationship — if you continue on your current
path — has a chance of reaching a peaceful resolution, either because you both
sat down and hashed out your differences, or you decided to cut your losses and
cut off the relationship.

So, you see how each card’s individual
meanings were refined when linked to the other cards through the spread, and
how each card’s meanings applied to a particular time or situation as denoted
by the position in the spread.

Note that the spread position is not the
be-all-end-all of meanings. You still have to apply the meaning of the card and
position to the overall story you’re getting from the full spread and from your
knowledge of the situation behind the question, if any. For example, the
second-to-last card of the Celtic Cross is usually about your hopes or fears
regarding the question. If you’ve asked about the outcome of a job interview
and see the Three of Swords, or “Sorrow,” that could be a straight-up
fear, either that you won’t get the job, or, if you’re not enthusiastic about
that job, that you’ll actually pass and get an offer.

When Versions Attack

All that seems simple enough, assuming you
practice and memorize all the meanings. It becomes more complicated, though,
when you’re faced with different versions of the same basic spread. Like
dialects of languages, these versions are essentially the same spread, but with
distinct variations in some of the position meanings.

TheCeltic Crossis a classic case. In the cross
portion, you have two cards in the middle, ringed by four cards. One version of
the spread has these as (starting at the bottom, going clockwise) reason for
asking the question, past influences, present situation, and short-term
outcome. Another version has these as present situation, past influences,
present influences, and future influences. And to make things even more
confusing, some readers look at the bottom, left, top, and right, while others
look at the bottom, then top, then left, and right. That can change the
interpretation somewhat, depending on the card.

If you’re just learning to read tarot cards
and find different versions of the same spread, it’s OK to play around with
both and see which version resonates with you. However, if you have a spread
read by another person, you need to be aware of which version that person uses
so that you don’t end up confused.

New Designs and New Meanings

A step that many tarot readers take as they
gain confidence in their knowledge of the cards is to create their own spreads.
So as you learn more and investigate more websites and books, you’ll find more
spreads with increasingly diverse card-position readings. You’ll see
interpretations that appear in many spreads, like past influences, while other
position interpretations may be unique to that spread.

Dual Options

One more issue is that the position meaning
can be maddeningly vague. Take that “other people’s involvement” card
in the Celtic Cross (second up from the bottom in the “staff” portion
of the spread). This position refers to other people’s thoughts about the
situation, their actions, and their involvement with you. It’s often used to
indicate whether other people will support or oppose you, but it can also
indicate how people are reacting to your actions, meaning that a card that
looks very unsupportive could really mean that you’re not being very supportive
of others. Or your behavior is so uncalled-for that they are not going to be
supportive of you. So the position is really about more than just whether
others like your side of the story.

Look at the whole spread to see how each
position works with the others. When you’ve place each card down, look at the
meaning of the card, then the meaning through the lens of the position, and
then the meaning through the lens of the entire spread.

The flexibility of the position meanings can
take getting used to, but in a way, it’s a blessing. It allows you to discover
additional possibilities that could be more in tune with what you’ve noticed in
the situation so far. If you want to see more variation regarding spreads and
interpretations, a professionalonline tarot readingis a great place to
start.