Tarot Card Pairs
Monday, August 31st, 2009If you’re a beginner at tarot card reading and interpretation, there is one important concept you need to learn: card pairing. Most tarot readers base their interpretations on two things: the single cards and the whole spread. Each tarot card has an inherent meaning that can give good insight to questions or situations. But the meaning of the cards may change depending on those adjacent to it and its position in the spread. This combination, therefore, lets the tarot reader tell the full story.
Card pairs, on the other hand, can bring forth insight on the querent’s balance issues. It tells us which personal characteristics or elements in our lives we need to focus on to achieve balance.
There are three types of card pairs:
- Permanent pairs – Tarot cards that are permanent opposites. The most known are The Magician and the High Priestess and the Eight of Swords and Four of Wands. For the first example, the Magician represents action while the High Priestess represents inaction.
- Occasional Pairs – These are the pairs that arise by chance and their relationship only becomes obvious during the particular reading. If the idea behind the cards becomes meaningful to the querent, then it can be considered an occasional pair.
