SLA Cold Reading Handbook

The

Complete

Cold reading

routines Handbook

Includes:

Interpretations for each individual tarot card

•

A quick method for doing in-field cold readings

•

A quIck guIde to cold reAdIng, tArot cArds, And seductIon

Ways to become a master of the esoteric arts

•

A method to fix of a cold reading gone bad

•

Special edition

one of the things I enjoy most about book tours is that it’s a chance to meet many of you. And I’ve notice lately that a big difference between stylelife students and other attraction students is that you guys are, by and large, a cool bunch. there are certain guys I’ve met in the community who I’d never be able to take to dinner with my regular friends or family, because there’s some-thing about them that just makes people uncom-fortable.

For a long time, I could never figure out what the difference was. I thought those guys were just not cool or too cheesy or not interested in any-thing in life but pick up.

But then I realized the difference, and I want to share it with you all in this newsletter because it’s an important trap to avoid.

Most of us got into the game because we want more success with women. And the reason for many of our failures, besides approach anxiety, was that we were too needy and desperate around women, and didn’t understand how at-traction worked and how to generate and em-body attraction.

But a strange thing happens to a certain subset of

and compliment them and accept disrespectful treatment in order to win their approval. Instead, they push-pull, demonstrate value, do cocky funny teasing, and disqualify them in order to win their approval.

In other words, the intention is still the same. they’re still trying to win the approval of a

com-plete stanger. thus, all they’re doing is showing their desperation in a new way, rather than in the traditional way.

the general principle is that anytime you do something you wouldn’t normally do in order to win someone else’s approval, you are supplicat-ing.

so instead of becoming social artists, some men end up just becoming better supplicators. this doesn’t mean you can’t change. But you

should change because it makes you a better, happier person – not because it will make people like you more.

one of the subtleties of the game, which sepa-rates the champs from the chumps, is being cen-tered in yourself, and going out to have fun and learn new things rather than show off for anyone else.

If you do the “ring Finger routine” or “the cube,” for example, with the expectation that a woman will be impressed by your knowledge and thus find you interesting, it will usually fall flat. If you do the “ring Finger routine” or “the cube” because you’re interested in learning it or you’re curious to know more about the person you’re talking to or you just find it fun to do, then you’re far more likely to create a real connection with her.

the same goes for push-pull and disqualification and cocky-funny. If you’re making these bold statements and then expecting a reaction from her, they’re going to seem needy. And she’s going guys after studying attraction. they begin to

un-derstand how things work, and change the way they dress, act, and behave around women. they do things that they have learned cause attraction in women: push-pull, demonstrating value, cocky funny teasing, role-playing, disqualifying, and the line.

Yet even though they’re learning so much, going out so much, and changing so much – especially compared to before the game, when they rarely even approached women – they’re not improv-ing at the pace they should. especially considerimprov-ing all the work they’re putting in.

Here’s why:

What’s one of the biggest turn-offs to women? I mean, besides a massive buildup of ear wax and nose hair.

right – it’s neediness.

so then what’s one of the biggest mistake guys who are deep into the game make?

they replace one form of neediness with an-other.

In other words, they no longer buy girls drinks

CongruenCy is key

leSSonS about the game from neil’S book tour

S T Y L E

II

to become uncomfortable, because she’ll sense you want or expect something from her. But if you’re doing them because you’re truly confident, and you un-derstand and appreciate her, and you enjoy pressing her buttons because you’re in such deep rapport, they become powerful tools of attraction.

And this is why some guys you will meet in the community you may not want to bring out to dinner with your friends and family. It’s not that they aren’t cool. It’s that they’re needy, and in every social interaction they’re trying to prove something or impress someone or get a certain reaction. And so they end up making the people they want to validate them uncomfortable. thus, they never get the validation they’re seeking, and begin to grow negative and bitter and incongruent with the fun, successful, happy, and confident personality they display. their personality becomes a theater mask, hiding a very different sort of person underneath.

the game is an art form full of ironies. one of them is that to attract a woman who isn’t interested in you yet, you can’t let her know that you’re attracted to her. Another is that the harder you appear to be trying, the worse you’ll do. And a third – and the lesson for today – is that in order to get the best reaction from a woman, you can’t appear to be seeking a reaction.

And, the truth is, this irony is a good thing that will help you become a better, happier, more successful person. Because your power, your self-esteem, and your enjoyment of each moment are yours to keep. don’t give them away every night to complete strangers.

Contents

IntroductIon: congruencY Is tHe keY

By Neil “Style” Strauss

PAge 1 tHe esoterIc Arts overvIeW

By Evolve

PAge 3 cold reAdIng BAsIcs

By Evolve and Gypsy

PAge 4 Blood tYPe cold reAdIng

By Evolve

PAge 5 HAnds oF tHe gods

By Neil “Style” Strauss

PAge 6 I HeArt routInes

By Evolve

PAge 7 tHe guIde to tArot cold reAds

By Evolve and Gypsy

PAge 17 APologIA esoterIcA

If you’ve been alive and at least partially con-scious in America during the last few months then you’ve no doubt been exposed to the lat-est infomercial product sweeping the nation. I’ll give you a hint: it’s blue and soft and ridiculous. First seen on silly low budget commercials late at night, it has had a meteoric rise in exposure and become a cultural phenomenon as the latest high profile gimmicky consumer item guaranteed to become the hot gag gift this holiday season. Yes, I’m talking about the snuggie. the sleeved

blanket to be worn while you lounge on the sofa watching tv like a fleece robe to keep you comfortably wrapped in your own warmth and shame. Much like the Flowbee in the 90’s, this quirky item has become its own punchline. It is the target of ridicule from high profile comedians such as Jay leno who mercilessly mock its cheesy commercial and the gullible dimwits who buy them. the derision is well deserved as anyone who’s seen one can attest that people wearing a snuggie look absurdly silly.

I took this as a challenge. After all, absurdly silly is my specialty. I wondered what kind of

reac-The

By Bolshevik

tions the stylelife crew and I would receive if we hit the town wearing snuggies. It dawned on me that this could be a wonderful social experi-ment. Would it be possible to attract women in a toasty warm body-length blanket? After a few clicks of the mouse our snuggies were ordered and we were about to find out.

the fateful day of the snuggie adventure arrived and we met at the stylelife office to don the comfy robes and sarge Hollywood. the crew consisted of me, gypsy, the sneak, and Mike, stylelife’s crack software developer. After some useless arguing over who would wear which snuggie (they were all the same size and color) we gleefully threw on our snuggies and added some additional accessories to make ourselves all the more outlandish: sunglasses, headbands and gypsy even wore a duck pin. It’s surprising how quickly four grown adults regress to play-ful children once they’re dressed up and feeling giddy. We were riled up and giggling like four Japanese school girls in a Hello kitty store. We joked and rough housed and made up names for our snuggie alter egos. I became snoop snuggie snug and gypsy transformed into dJ snugglebug.

It was sheer lunacy. We were in full party mode and geared up to turn the town upside down so we piled into gypsy’s car and floored it for Hol-lywood.

As we approached the first bar we were pumped up to burst through the doors and make a splash. the sneak busted out some impromptu freestyle

rap about the joys of wearing a snuggie as we strode up the street towards the entrance. We handed the bouncer our Id’s and he barely bat-ted an eye at how obscenely ridiculous we were dressed. I suppose a doorman in Hollywood is prone to becoming jaded and we might have been one of the least curious spectacles he’d seen on a Friday night. the doors swung opon before us and we bounded inside the bar to make a grand entrance, expecting the arrival of four wildly dressed snuggie freaks to ignite the crowd into an eruption of joy at the mere sight of us. But there was no burst of applause, laugh-ter, or high fives. We found ourselves standing in the middle of a quiet, near-empty bar with half-asleep patrons. there were mostly small groups scattered throughout all transfixed on a multi-tude of flat screen tv’s watching various

sport-AstrologY, tArot cArds, PAlM reAdIng, And rune stones

oF tHe seductIon coMMunItY sInce Its concePtIon. In neIl strAuss’ thE GamE tHese Arts Were cAlled “cHIck crAck” BecAuse oF WoMen’s InsAtIABle APPetIte For tHe un-knoWn. tHese Four stYles oF Fortune tellIng, And MAnY More lIke tHeM, Are All PArt oF A grouP oF dIscIPlInes cAlled tHe esoterIc Arts.

tHe PrIMArY PurPose oF tHe esoterIc Arts, In regArds to seductIon, Is to HelP BuIld coMFort As Well As An eMotIonAl connectIon. coMFort BuIldIng routInes, sucH As “tHe cuBe” or “strAWBerrY FIelds,” AlloW You to BuIld A deeP eMotIonAl connec-tIon WItH Your tArget. tHe esoterIc Arts do tHe sAMe WItH tHe Added BeneFIt oF

reAcHIng A Person sPIrItuAllY.

relIgIon, sPIrItuAlItY, And tHe occult HAve AlWAYs Been PoWerFul tools oF seduc-tIon. tHeY AlloW us An escAPe FroM tHe constrAInts oF tHe MAterIAl World, And oFFer us tHe HoPe tHAt We Are not MerelY sPecks oF dust In An IndIFFerent unIverse; sPIrItuAlItY MAkes us Feel lIke tHere Is soMetHIng lArger out tHere WorkIng In our FAvor. tHIs Is WHY tHese sYsteMs HAve Been so PoWerFul For so long And WHY tHeY reMAIn greAt tools For seductIon to tHIs dAY.

tHe Four Most PoPulAr esoterIc Arts Are AstrologY, tArot, PAlM reAdIng, And rune stones. tHese Arts Are relAtIvelY coMPlex And cAn seeM overWHelMIng At FIrst glAnce, But WItH A FeW sIMPle tIPs You cAn APPeAr As tHougH You’ve Been studYIng AnY oF tHese Arts For YeArs.

tHe esoteriC arts

By evolve

rapid fire banter. the riotous laughter and smiles confirmed that we were a hit. But it was time to press on.

We walked proudly up the street charged from red Bull and attention and arrived at the hottest, most prestigious club in Hollywood. After flirting shamelessly with some gorgeous, short skirted women lingering in front of the club we made an ill-conceived attempt to skip the entire line and waltz right in. Apparently, the bouncer didn’t share our view that four men in snuggies are akin to celebrity and deserve instant access to the most exclusive nightspot in town. We even tried to convince him we were “snuggie vIP’s” but he didn’t go for it and we went rambling on com-pletely unfazed.

our walk along Hollywood Boulevard was con-stantly interrupted by partygoers stopping us to pose for pictures. We were quite the rambunc-tious crowd: gypsy singing improvised snuggie melodies, Mike flirting and enjoying all the at-tention, and sneak riffing an endless barrage of snuggie jokes. A strange thing occurred as we stepped through the door of the next bar on our tour: the crowd instantly burst into applause as if they had somehow been expecting us. We piled through the door all at once with huge smiles on our faces and everyone in the bar laughed and clapped as a single unit. We felt obliged to perform so we broke out into a spontaneous dance and hopped around to the rhythm of the music. People loved us. We even picked up our first groupie. unfortunately, he was a guy. He fol-lowed us around like a puppy dog for the rest of the night just standing there in numb amusement and laughing at our antics.

the next bar we entered was a dimly lit dive but, like most spots in l.A., filled with lovely women. gypsy and Mike wasted no time and were each chatting up sexy blondes within minutes of walk-ing in the door. gypsy had his girl hangwalk-ing on his every word, her body language completely fix-ated on him as she seemed entranced by the fas-cinating mind of this charismatic man in a fluffy monk robe. Mike and his blonde snuck off to the

astrology

Western: the first evidence of astrology dates back to 3000 Bce. How-ever, it wasn’t until the greeks adopted it from the Babylonians that it be-came what most of us know as astrology today. Western astrology is the most common form of star reading. What you read about in magazines and in newspapers is a small fraction of Western astrology.

VediC: vedic astrology comes from India and is referred to as Jyotishi. sev-eral universities in India actually offer degrees in astrology, due to its cul-tural importance. the vedic system is similar to Western astrology in many aspects. It shares the same 12 signs that western astrology does (Aries, taurus, gemini, etc.) as well as the same planets (sun, Moon, venus, Mars, etc.), however the difference is that its 28 degrees behind the Western zodiac, meaning that, if you are a scorpio in the Western zodiac then you’d be considered a libra in vedic.

OCTOBER 2008 | WINGMAN

08

FEBRUARY 2010 | WINGMAN

08

the roots of your art will add to the perception that you are a master. Many esoteric arts have been around for hundreds if not thousands of years, so there is plenty of history to choose from. A master should always know where his art came from.

deVelop a root.every social artist should have a story that explains how he became interested in an art that most people disregard. the story you come up with could involve a best friend who became interested in astrology, a mother who taught her son to read tarot cards, or an interest in viking culture that led to learning rune reading. this story helps flesh out the perception that you are truly interested in the esoteric arts, and not just a guy trying to pick up women. Be sure to include some of the art’s history as well as a personal story that supports your interest in which ever art you’ve chosen.

learn tHe Variations. Astrology exists all over the world in many different forms. the same is true for many of the other arts. A pick up art-ist who practices the esoteric arts will eventually run into women who talk about very specific styles of an art. If you know at least a few facts about the most common variations of the arts, you’re ahead of the game.

HaVe personal experienCe. Whether you read the stars or read the stones, it’s crucial to have stories about other people whose fortunes you’ve told. comparing one person to another helps an esoteric artist flesh out the world that he’s created. the best way to obtain this information is by doing as many readings as possible, including your own.

aries: coMPetItIve, cHIldIsH

ArrogAnt, overconFIdent

taurus:lAzY, selF-Indulgent, InsAtIABle

libra: co-dePendent,

Inde-cIsIve, vAIn

sagittarius: nArcIssIstIc,

ProMIscuous, excessIve

sCorpio: MAnIPulAtIve,

cruel, dePressIng

CapriCorn: cold, MIserlY,

MIserABle, rePressed

aquarius: detAcHed, over

AnAlYtIcAl, WeIrd

pisCes: WIsHY-WAsHY, FlAkY, IrresPonsIBle

gemini: JudgeMentAl, MAnIc-dePressIve, BItcHY

CanCer: MoodY, crY-BABY, over-ProtectIve

leo: egocentrIc, oBnoxIous, drAMA queen

Virgo: FolloWer, oBsessIve coMPulsIve

astro-disqualiFy

negAtIve trAIts For eAcH oF tHe sIgns to HelP You teAse tHe WoMen oF tHe unIverse.

02

tarot deCks

rider Waite: the famous rider Waite deck is one of the most popular tarot decks in the world. the cards contain an immense amount of astro-logical and occult symbolism and are one of the best decks for any beginner tarot reader.

tHotH: Aleister crowley, a world famous occultist and influential member of an early 20th century occult group called “the Hermetic order of the golden dawn” created this deck based on a number of different occult systems. It features symbolism from cultures the world over. the deck has a book of interpretations that accompanys it called the Book of thoth.

tHe otHers: Many other styles of decks exist. From a Lord of the Rings deck to a fairies deck. these alternate sets are used much more like rune stones where each card has a more personal significance rather than a spe-cific meaning.

Cold reading basiCs

HoW to tAlk lIke An exPert

Conditional:

Make sure that nothing you say is definite. Peo-ple can easily say “no, that’s not right.” to a definite statement.

Do not say, “You are confident.” Say, “You can be confident at times.”

aFFirmation:

get them to accept your authority by respond-ing to them with words like,

“Yes.” “right.”

ConFidenCe:

Act like everything you say is true. Don’t doubt what you say.

Do say everything like you’re the authority.

approVal:

People agree with positive statements about themselves and disagree with negative state-ments about themselves. Merge the two prin-ciples.

Say, “some people think you lack confidence, when you’re really a confident person. gen-erally, they confuse the fact that you like to watch and learn before you speak.”

opposites:

Most emotions and actions have a dual nature. combine opposite qualities into the same sen-tence for a powerful cold read.

Say, “I’m certain at times you can be lazy or lethargic, while at other times, when you are doing something you’re interested in, you work like a maniac.”

False speCiFiCation:

Imply specificity by comparing this person’s traits to everyone else’s.

Say, “though most people don’t think before they act, you almost spend too much time thinking before acting.

By Evolve

sound bytes:

Always think about the words you use. they should sound mystical and deep. they should also make the person you’re reading feel like everything is specifically about them. Here are a few common sound bytes to think about when cold reading:

Personal Journey… the way you experience… the feeling you get…

Breaking the common pattern… two paths to choose…

You have this positive (or negative) energy…

styleliFe

there’s no way I‘d date a scorpio.

04

STYLELIFE

blood type

Cold reading

InstAnt

cold reAds

“they say that

women with

bangs like that are

known for having

a nasty darkside.”

“You look around

a lot. supposedly

that means you’re

some one who

needs to feel safe.”

“the way you hold

your glass is

inter-esting. It means

you’re really

confi-dent.”

Cold read #1

Cold read #2

Cold read #3

type a

People with blood type A are known for being able to stay calm under pressure. they like to keep the peace and live comfortably. they feel like they’re outcasts which leads to an amazing artistic quality, but also shy and sensitive personality. they secretly crave success and are known to be perfection-ists.

type b

type B’s are the most dependable of the blood types; they can be counted on to finish any project they start. they always try to find their own way to complete a task, although they are good at following directions. they’re minds are one track, always focusing on what they’re working on at that moment and nothing else. they can seem cold because they tend to stick to the logic rather than emotion when dealing with people. they are individualists who can sometimes seem selfish.

type ab

type AB people are known for having a very dualistic nature they are known for being hot and cold, timid and confident, the life of the party and shyest person you know. they are easily overwhelmed with responsibility. AB types are known for being trustworthy and honest. Most AB’s are extremely critical when it comes to their personal beliefs.

type o

People with type o blood are known for being energetic and social. they are said to be flighty and un-dependable especially when working on a project that doesn’t interest them. they love attention, and listen well to others. they say what’s on their mind (sometimes without thinking) and are extremely confident.

Compatibility by blood groups

type A is most compatible with type A and type AB type B is most compatible with type B and type AB type AB is most compatible with type AB, B, A and o type o is most compatible with type o, and type AB

ContingenCies

some girls hate blood, if they don’t want to talk about it, turn pale, or pass out – then you might

•

want to stop the routine and move onto something else.

some people don’t know their blood type. If the girl you’re speaking with doesn’t know hers you

•

can still run a story telling routine using only “the root” section of this underground that segues into a different cold reading paradigm, like astrology or tarot.

If you have a pivot, I’d suggest having her come up and agree that it’s right on and that she couldn’t

•

poseidon/ neptune Zeus/jupiter d ionysus/ba CCH us a pH rodite/ V enus ares/mars

b y n e i l s t r a u s s

Hands oF tHe gods

nant person.” (Wave your index finger at them like “no no no” or “don’t do that.”) It represents power and immense energy.

Your middle finger is represented by dionysus who is the god of wine and partying. He is a very irreverent god. so if you have a ring there, it means you tend to do what ever you want and can be less about what others think.” (then lift your middle finger up on its own and give the bird and say, “It’s like fuck you to the world.” When they are wearing a ring on that finger, they always laugh at this.)

“Your ring finger is of course represented by Aph-rodite. she is the goddess of love, and that is why we wear our wedding rings on that finger. (You can add all kinds of romantic cold-reading lines here, like, “When you fall for someone, you tend to fall completely for them.”)

“Interestingly, it is the only finger that has a vein that goes straight to the heart without branching off, and so when someone puts a ring on that fin-ger, they’re actually making a direct connection with your heart.” (If she is comfortable, you can

tHe rIng FInger routIne

notice a gleam of metal on her fingers (a ring) and say, “I have to ask before I run: Why did you chose to wear that ring on that particular finger….Interesting…do you always wear those rings on the same fingers?” Note: Of course they

always do, because that’s where they fit.

then continue, “I have a friend who’s a spiritual type, and she just told me that the fingers you choose to wear your rings on says something about your personality…”

If she is not wearing any rings, just ask instead, “out of curiosity, and I’ll explain why I’m asking

in a second, when you do wear rings, what fin-gers are they usually on?” If she normally doesn’t wear wings, ask, “Well, if you were to wear a ring, and it wasn’t a wedding ring obviously, what finger would it be on?”

then go on to explain:

“each one of these mounds” – the pads on the palm where the fingers join the hand -is repre-sented by a different god, and in greek culture, you wear a ring on that finger to praise and pay homage to that particular god.

“For example, the thumb represents Poseidon which as you know is the god of the sea. And he was very independent. He was the only god who didn’t live on Mount olympus. He did his own thing. And the thumb kind of sticks out, it kind of does its own thing. People who wear thumb rings are therefore very individual and independent and generally do their own thing. they don’t fol-low trends, but prefer instead to set their own. the index finger is represented by zeus, the king of all gods, and the god of thunder and light-ning. that’s a very dominant finger, and having a ring there means you tend to be a more

domi-trace a line from her finger up her arm as you say this.)

“the pinky is represented by Ares. who is the god of war, and that’s why you see mobsters wearing pinky rings, It represents conflict.” If she is wearing a pinky ring, ask, “did you buy that yourself or did someone give it to you?” If she bought it herself, it means she is sometimes at war with herself and has some inner conflict, maybe an emotional conflict or something she is not comfortable with herself about. If she was given it by someone ask, then ask by whom and tell her there may be some tension below the surface between the two of them, some unre-solved problem that she just hasn’t unre-solved yet. If a woman asks, “How do you know this?” You may respond, “An ex-girlfriend of mine was into mythology and taught it to me.”

If she has a ring on her wedding finger ask, “Is that an engagement ring or do you just wear that to keep the womanizers away?” You’ll be sur-prised how often the latter is true.

poseidon,rePresentIng IMAgInAtIon, IndIvIduAlItY

ares,rePresentIng conFlIct, AggressIveness, coM-PetItIveness

apHrodite, rePresentIng love, roMAnce, BeAutY

dionysus,rePresentIng Irreverence, reBellIous-ness, And decAdence

Zeus,rePresentIng doMInAnce, PoWer, And energY, trAvel, exPAnsIon

tHe ring Finger routine map

technique

evolve’S faSt and eaSy

heart drawing cold read

I hearT rouTInes

By Evolve

to set up this cold read simply, grab a napkin, a pen, and a girl. Ask her to draw a heart on a piece of paper. Be sure to “root” the cold read. In other words, let them know why you know this game, for example:

“I want to try out this little psychology test my friend taught me.”

now simply cold read her based on the heart she drew. Pay attention to the size, shape, and line structure.

tHe basiC sHapes: uneVen, perFeCt, and broken

uneVen: one side is larger than the other.

meaning: indicates some sort of imbalance in her life, you can easily associate

it with right and left brain behavior, the larger side being more dominant. (left: logic right: creativity)

perFeCt: both sides are even, the heart is full and round

meaning: indicates a perfectionist, talk about how she has a need for control

over situations concerning their love life and professional life.

broken: lines don’t meet in the dip on the heart.

meaning: indicates someone who thinks and acts quickly, talk about how they

are impulsive in relationships and outside of them.

perFeCt Heart:

uneVen Heart:

broken Heart:

LARGE RIGhT SIdE: caring, Motherly, Artistic,

creative, emotionally Impulsive, socially unique,

romantic, Passionate LARGE LEFT SIdE: easily excited, logical, Analytical, Philosophi-cal, “no time for drama,”

emotional coldness

knows what she wants in life. she’s well organized, but neurotic at times.

she believes love, but not at first sight. she lives for the moment. she tends to be a perfectionist when it comes

to things she loves. she has huge dreams of success.

quickly falls in and out of love lives for adventure. understands “the big picture.”

lives for the moment. not concerned with details.

the ends justify the means. cutting and quick witted.

extremely social.

the idea of cards telling the future seems nonsensi-cal to most men, but to millions of women the tarot is no joke. By learning to read these ancient cards you’re peering outside the average guy’s pick-up world into a new realm of seduction. the following is a guide to help you map out your first steps.

aCquire a deCk oF tarot Cards:

For the beginning tarot enthusiast the “rider tarot deck”, also known as the “Waite tarot deck” and the “rider Waite tarot deck”, is the only deck you should be using. this is the standard deck of most tarot readers because it has strictly codified illustrations that also present the same images and symbols with each publishing. there are a myriad of other decks in circulation, including one illustrated by salvador dali himself! However, many of these decks differ in their imagery and symbols so it will be highly difficult to learn with the information we are providing you on one of these alternate decks. As you rise in skill level feel free to experiment with other decks. For now the “rider tarot deck” can be found in several varieties, even a smaller playing card size for easy transportation.

Care and storage oF deCk:

When you first get your cards take them out of the pack and play with them as much as you like. new decks can be very stiff and they require a period of breaking in before they can be shuffled and dealt with relative ease. try to keep your cards clean and stain free. do not expose them to liquids as this will warp cards and affect your dealing of the cards. Find a nice way to store your cards that says something about your personality. I personally keep mine in a decorated silk bag that a friend got me from thailand because it references my interest in

By gypsy and evolve

styleliFe

guIde to tArot cold reAds

prepare yourselF For

tHe tarot experienCe

Asian art and massage. I know other tarot readers that keep their cards in beautiful carved wooden boxes. When you retrieve your cards for a reading the receiver may view the receptacle for storage so make it a meaningful one that can be commented upon and displays that you care for your important possessions.

preparing to read:

Become as familiar as possible with the short and pertinent themes provided in this document for each card. Initially, you do not have to have every meaning for each card memorized. With tarot, just as with attracting women, you will learn exponen-tially as you do. keep the sheet of card themes that is provided here close to you when you do a read-ing and feel free to reference it if need be. As long as the receiver of your reading is aware that this is a new passion of yours than you should not be called out for referencing your “cheat sheet”.

VoCabulary oF tarot terms:

reCeiVer:

the individual receiving the reading of the tarot cards for the tarot reads. the receiver’s input and reception of the cards is vital to an insightful reading.

reader:

the individual reading and interpreting the cards for the receiver.

major arCana:

the 22 special face cards (not the suit royalty cards) of the tarot deck. these cards are num-bered 0-21 beginning with “the Fool” as zero and ending with “the World” as twenty-one. In a sense the Major Arcana cards can be the most powerful in the deck. Important life issue read-ings that need immediate and powerful answers are often done with only the Major Arcana. the twenty-two cards are a visual metaphor for the experiences encountered in life’s journey. minor arCana:

the 56 suited cards, including both the court cards and the numbered cards. the suits are

Wands, cups, swords and Pentacles (sometimes also known as coins).

pre-read setup and patter

set tHe mood:

As with performing magic and other fortune telling rituals the environment and presentation of your tarot reading will definitely effect the perception of the receiver. set the mood with dim lighting (not too dim that you cannot see the cards clearly), scented candles, incense and music that is evocative, relaxing and exotic. this sort of environment is also conducive to kino escalation for after your reading.

giVe a quiCk explanation oF tarot: let your receiver know that the history of tarot is a rich and powerful one. It is a tool that has been used for ages to solve problems and por-tend the future for everyone from peasants to presidents. tell them that the tarot deck also works in mysterious ways and often chooses its own best answer for the receiver’s question (this line allows you to be more creative in your reading). You will be the humble interpreter of the tarot’s message as it guides you to the an-swer for the receiver’s query.

inVolVe tHe reCeiVer:

Hand the deck of the 22 Major Arcana cards to your receiver. tell her to shuffle and cut the deck anyway that she feels appropriate. she must manipulate the cards and lend some of her own energy and spirit to them. As she does this action the receiver must also ask the tarot her specific query aloud. In general, most people’s questions can fall into four easy categories: health, wealth, relationships, and travel (which is sometimes somehow included in or related to one the other three categories). After many readings you will have experienced most of the possible permutations of questions again and again and your calibration at reading will greatly improve. get as much information from your re-ceiver as possible and feel free to ask follow up questions about his/her main original question. encourage your reader to participate verbally as

much as possible and when they are speaking be quiet and listen attentively. People will often lead you and the cards to the correct answer to their own problems just by discussing it aloud. When-ever, the receiver is done manipulating the cards in any way she seems fit, urge her to take her time, have her hand the cards back to you.

giVing your reading

tHe gypsy easy spread:

there are as many placements or spreads of tarot cards as there are cards in the deck. For my beginning days with tarot I kept things ex-tremely simple so as not to complicate my read-ings and to focus more on learning how to read and experiencing giving actual readings. I use a very simple four cards spread with one leader card placed face down above three cards follow-ing placed faced down below it. (Pg. 16, Fig. 1) the leader card will be the first card that you draw off. then proceed to deal the three other cards and place them in a row as pictured above. After having dealt all four cards you will turn over the leader card first and begin your reading. the leader card will set the theme of the read. You must relate it to the question of the receiver. For example let us imagine that this read is for a receiver asking how an on-again-off-again rela-tionship with a boyfriend should be ended. the theme card is the Justice card. (Pg. 16, Fig. 2) You know form the short themes given above that the Justice card denotes a need to find balance in life. so the eventual dissolution of this chaotic relationship means that it will put the receiver’s life back into balance and focus. However, the Justice card also warns their relationshipis should be ended in a fair manner that offers equality to each party.

As you turn over the next card the story of the read will continually unfold.

the next card revealed is the death card. (Pg. 16,

Fig. 3) using our quick reference guide again we

know that the death card although it appears ominous is really a card that marks a vital change in the life of the receiver. certainly a break-up of

this sort is a major change. the important thing is how the receiver deals with this change. con-vey to the receiver that this change is imminent and must be received in the most positive light in order to move on with her life. death is merely the precursor to rebirth.

next turn over each successive card in turn and weave a story throughout the reading that con-tinues the receiver’s journey. (Pg. 16, Fig. 4) our next card is temperance which is a card that conveys the need for moderation in life. so the receiver will enter a period of renewed balance from her break-up this will bring about a great change in her life that if embraced positively and in moderation will lead her further down her life path. the last card revealed is the Hanged Man which is a waypoint in all journey’s repre-senting a voluntary sacrifice made to gain a new perspective or life goal. the receiver’s sacrifice in this case could very well be her relationship which although chaotic offered some sense of comfort. the letting go and sacrifice of this rela-tionship will lead her to a renewed perspective on life but only if she enters into this endeavor seeking fairness for all parties, embraces change and finds a way to a path of moderation in her new and more care-free life.

As you weave the story that the cards reveal be attentive to your receiver and listen to all that he/she has to say. they will help guide you as much as the tarot cards do throughout the reading.

eVolVe’s tarot metHod:

this method of tarot reading is very quick as well as easy. You are going to use the cards to tell a story. the better you are at coming up with stories on the spot the easier this method will be for you.

preparation: divide the cards into the three groups listed here

tHe major arCana: Fool card up to the World card – 22 cards total

tHe minor arCana: 1- 10 of each of the cup, wand, sword, and pentacle cards – 40 cards total

tHe Court Cards: All the pages, knights, kings, and queens – 16 cards total

tHe reCeiVer:

Have the receiver shuffle each group of cards 1.

individually. tell her to “only think of what comes to mind first, because that is what may be most important right now.”

next, have the receiver draw one card from 2.

each pile of cards. (3 total)

let them hold on to the three cards or have 3.

them place the cards on the table, while you put the others away. Have them place the cards in this order. First the minor arcana, second the court card, and third the major arcana.

HoW to read Her Cards:

each group of cards represents a different com-ponent of any story. In this case:

the major arcana are the theme

•

the court cards are the characters

•

the minor arcana are the events in the story

•

It is your job as the reader to put these pieces together in a way that makes sense to the re-ceiver.

For example, if my receiver drew, the two of Pentacles (minor arcana), the knight of Wands (court card) and Judgment (major arcana) the reading might go something like this:

“You drew Judgment, a symbol of choice, and a decision that you will have to make that is very polarized. It’s a very yes or no choice, a good and evil choice. this is the theme of your story. It’s very black and white.

next, we have the knight of Wands, the charac-ter in your story. this could be and active male, who is impulsive and sometimes unpredictable. this person, who in a bad mood will refuse to change his path, is a person who can prove to be sincere and brave. this person is the center-piece for your story. He may be the root of the theme or just a helper in the story. this person is often the cause of change and is a major player in stories. His sign is of fire. Fire represents ego, generally its accurate to say that people like this will pull themselves into a good friend’s life when they feel it’s necessary, acting as the glorious fi-ery knight depicted in the card.

last we have the two of Pentacles, a card that represents change and balance. As the card por-trays a juggler, balancing out the two coins. this is how the story goes. the event that will take place is an event that concerns the balance of your life. generally this card has financial signifi-cance. this is because pentacles or coins repre-sent earth. earth cards correspond to the mate-rial world, and by that, of course, I mean money, assets, business and other worldly things. Also, it can represent imbalance in a relationship. It’s possible that since no water cards were drawn in this reading that there is a lack of emotion. It’s possible that you were not viewing the relation-ship with emotion; rather you were viewing it as an object, something material and not emotional or spiritual.”

Note about aces:

If the receiver draws an ace. Read it as raw energy and have them chose another minor arcana card. Interpret the ace like so; “you’re going to put in a lot of [ego (wands), thought (swords), your material self (pentacles) or emotion (cups)] into this story if you haven’t already.” Use the ace card to em-phasize any other card with a matching elemental

quality, or use it to emphasize the lack of a specific elemental quality.

tarot Card interpretations

major arCana 0. tHe Fool:

the fool is above reality. He playfully moves to-ward the edge of the cliff fearlessly to fall into the realm of worldly things. He represents silent intuition. When his card is drawn it usually rep-resents new beginnings and taking chances. i. tHe magiCian:

the magician can be seen with the four objects of the minor arcana on his table; he has one hand in the air and one pointing to the earth. He rep-resents a connection between heaven and earth, as well as the world around us (represented by the four objects on the table). He generally rep-resents the transition of knowledge from source one to another, the experience of power, and signals a need to be active.

ii. tHe HigH priestess:

this card is feminine in nature and is a sign of emotional receptivity. she sits balanced between the sun on her crown and the moon at her feet; on either side she has a pillar of light and of darkness. she represents a need for people to look deeper in themselves into the unconscious mind.

iii. tHe empress:

this character represents femininity, mother-hood and beauty. It can represent the creation of new life and the abundance of pleasing things. she represents a great number of material quali-ties as well as a number of spiritual qualiquali-ties. iV. tHe emperor:

the emperor is a figure of strength and fortitude. He is representative of maleness, both as a fa-ther figure and as a political authority. He can represent a need for organization as well as an assumption that one has both power and con-trol over a specific situation.

V. tHe HieropHant:

the hierophant represents the spreading of se-cret knowledge to the people in portions. He sits in front of the people in his religious gar-ments spreading the words of his spirituality. He is the connection between the message and the people. He represents education in a system of belief as well as conforming to an idea.

Vi. tHe loVers:

this card represents division as well as symme-try. It can relate to any interpersonal relationship where one person is another’s counterpart. It can relate to both equal and opposite partners in any relationship: lovers, friends, business part-ners, and enemies alike.

Vii. tHe CHariot:

the chariot represents using will to exert con-trol over an emotional state. It is usually present when the receiver is needs to come to grips with the state of both their ego and their emotions. It represents direct action and control, as well as confidence inherent in a strong positive emo-tional state.

Viii. strengtH:

this card is representative of both inner and outer strength. It can relate to strength in all aspects: physical, mental, or spiritual. this card can be associated with compassion and patience, both, of which are products of specific types of strength.

ix. tHe Hermit:

the hermit lives alone, he is drawn away from so-ciety in order to spend his time in introspective thought. this card if drawn represents searching for guidance. If it is drawn it may mean that the receiver is in need of some serious “alone time” in order to gain guidance through introspective thought.

x: WHeel oF Fortune:

this card deals with fate, fortune, and luck. It is a positive card that can mean good fortune for the one who draws it as long as a specific

issue is solved. It is one of the few cards that are not represented by a human looking figure. the wheel is above man, it exist outside our world. It brings fortune from the divine.

xi. justiCe:

the Justice card conveys the need to achieve balance in the receiver’s life, in particular the bal-ancing of the mind. Also, represents a need to resolve unfinished life issues with a sense of fair-ness (e.g. when ending a romantic relationship the receiver should be sure that his/her partner is told respectfully and given the opportunity to express his/her feelings about the break-up). If being interpreted as an individual in the receiv-er’s life it may be someone that brings balance and fairness, perhaps a strong female figure of an authoritative stature or position.

xii. tHe Hanged man:

the Hanged Man represents a waypoint in the receiver’s journey. this point will require a vol-untary sacrifice to be made by the receiver in order to make a gain towards a life goal. the card itself is a strong metaphor for the sacrifice of control as the hanged man evidently is bound and has no control over his destiny. the card may also represent a need to sacrifice a particu-lar way of viewing life in general or a particuparticu-lar subject. the Hanged Man after all is strung up with his head pointing down suggesting a com-plete 180 degree change of perspective. xiii. deatH:

due to its ominous title this card is generally met with a gasp by the receiver. Be quick to assure them that this card does not always represent a physical death but rather signifies a coming life change or the need for one. It should be empha-sized that the death card represents not just an ending but a new beginning as well. the receiver must be prepared to accept these endings in life’s journey and begin anew.

xiV. temperanCe:

demonstrates the importance of moderation and toleration. If this card is dealt after a card that resonated strongly with the receiver than

temperance shows that the previous card’s sug-gestion should be received or dealt in a mild manner. the temperance card by itself suggests to the receiver that he/she ought to cooperate, compromise, practice patience and tolerate the differences of others.

xV. tHe deVil:

the devil represents man’s attachment to the material world. A man and a woman are chained to a block of stone. the stone represents the material world. Above it sits the devil. He is the ruler of all things material, and reminds us that, as humans, we are forever attached to this world. the man and woman are depicted as having horns to let us know that on this earth we are his creatures; that we all have limitations and we are all subject to lust and desire. It also represents the things we must get done in order to move on.

xVi. tHe toWer:

Many people initially interpret the tower as an ominous card. the truth is that it is no more ominous than any other card. the tower is a card foretelling that an immediate and dramatic change is going to happen to the receiver. this change that strikes like a lighting flash will be no-ticeable but it may be for the good or the bad there is no way of telling. Whether the outcome is negative or positive depends on how the re-ceiver reacts to this change.

xVii. tHe star:

Indeed a truly promising card. It represents a strong meaning of hope and inspiration. the star can be seen as the receiver’s muse reinvigorat-ing his/her life with her pitcher of crystal water, a universal sign of knowledge. other meanings are personal renewal of life forces, strong op-timism and joy. the star can often represent a person of these particular qualities entering the receiver’s life particularly if their question to the cards pertains to seeking romance.

xViii. tHe moon:

An omen that deception may be on the horizon. the old saying about this card is that by the light

of the moon nothing is as it really seems. the receiver must be careful to inspect all things and relationship closely on his/her journey lest he/ she be betrayed.

xix. tHe sun:

A polar opposite of the Moon card. In the sun-light all things are as they are and it is not at time for deception and betrayal but rather for lively activity, enjoyment and clear perception. the sun card foretells a promising new day to come for the receiver. A day when all of the receiver’s hard work is reaped and is bountiful. this card may also predict a particular festivity to come, perhaps it is a future moment for the receiver to shine amongst all his/her loved ones and friends.

xx. judgment:

can signify the final settling of a matter that has thus far gone unfinished in the receiver’s life. on a larger scale it can symbolize a reckoning of the receiver’s karma. there may soon be an occa-sion in which the universe will take into account the receiver’s good and bad deeds, hard work or lack there of, and reward or punish accordingly. this is the evaluation of one’s journey.

xxi. tHe World:

this card represents the end of a journey and the reaping of the knowledge from that jour-ney. this card can be interpreted to the receiver as the light at the end of the tunnel; whatever path or life complication he/she is engaged in a finite end will be reached and wholeness and an understanding of one’s place in the world will be achieved. the World does not represent the complete end of life but rather the end of one life cycle so that another may begin. It may also be interpreted on a microcosmic scale as a physical journey to come to another geographi-cal location, perhaps a vacation or a visit to a loved one in need.

Wands (Fire)

also knoWn as rods or staVes Wands are representative of fire. Fire, in most esoteric systems, represents ego or willpower. Wands usually appear when there are issues concerning identity. Fire can also represent ac-tion, as well as the will to act.

aCe oF Wands:

raw fire, the creation of an identity, the motiva-tion to acmotiva-tion.

tWo oF Wands:

A man looking out to the sea with the world in his hand. this card represents power given to man in its most raw form, as well as the will to go fourth and be great. It is the firs step in a new creative process and almost always has to do with newfound power.

tHree oF Wands:

A man looking out from the sea to the moun-tains. this card represents the exploration of a newfound power. the man is looking to explore the mountains in an effort to find and explore himself and find his true identity.

Four oF Wands:

a completed task. this card is a well-deserved celebration the full manifestation of power and

will now, given a structured solid form. It is de-fined by and understanding of one’s true iden-tity.

FiVe oF Wands:

Five men each with their own wands, all in dis-agreement. this card is representative of strife. the wands, which were once held by one

indi-vidual, are now split between many. It is a sign of disagreement and dissention.

six oF Wands:

A man wearing laurels rides with other men. this card is a sign of victory and recognition. the

men who were once in dissention now have a leader. this card represents the recognition of a success.

seVen oF Wands:

A man stands on a hill fending off others. this card represents a drive to make a stand. the leader of other men now uses his power to try and change the world; he must now face the masses. It can also be seen as an individual who was once known for something being pushed into the background.

eigHt oF Wands:

the wands shine down like rays from the sun. this card represents the wands as a message to the people or a person. It represents a message or an action from outside of ourselves.

nine oF Wands:

A bandaged man uses the wand for support. the wand representing a philosophy is now a crutch for this battered soldier. He clutches the wand because it is the source of whatever idea caused his injuries, it is the rational behind his suffering. It is the defense of an idea in order to feel that any trials and tribulations faced were not in vain. ten oF Wands:

A man carries the heavy wands to the city; he carries them in front of his face blinding him as he stumbles forward. the power has become a great burden. He lets the power blind him as he pushes himself too hard. this card is a sign

of struggle. It represents the refusal to let go of one philosophy in hopes of no longer carrying a burden.

page oF Wands:

represents a charming, excited, and creative character. He is extremely individual. He repre-sents a person that can fuel his or her own fire. someone who can inspire others while inspiring themselves.

knigHt oF Wands:

this card represents a person with an unpre-dictable nature. this character is impulsive and passionate. He is an extremely self-confidant crusader who is willing to risk everything in or-der to succeed. At times he can be much to full of himself. When someone stands on the other side of his ideals he can be cruel and bigoted. queen oF Wands:

A self-assured adaptable character. she is often impatient due to her overabundance of energy. she is the initiator for all of her friends and lov-ers. she is creative, energetic and generally opti-mistic. she is a competitive person who tends to be prideful, and often vain.

king oF Wands:

this card represents a theatrical character, someone who can easily communicate their enthusiasm, especially when it has to do with

themselves. He is often quick to share his point and is an utter victim of indecision. though he is prideful he is often willing to look at an idea from all sides.

pentaCles (eartH)

also knoWn as Coins or disks the key thing to remember about the Pentacles cards is that they are related to the receiver’s money and/or possessions. these cards are more wealth and physical related than any other cards. Pentacles represent earth and the mate-rial world.

aCe oF pentaCles:

signifies the beginning of a prosperous endeavor or the aquisition of material goods.

tWo oF pentaCles:

the juggler or fool depicted is juggling funds this too may become the receiver’s future fate or be his/her current state. It may also suggest need-ing to get a handle on a business or financial situ-ation that is beginning to get out of control. tHree oF pentaCles:

In this card an artisan’s work is being admired by onlookers. soon the receiver will be recognized for his/her own business endeavors and be clos-er to reaping the rewards related to them.

12

tarot Cards and astrology

the empress is representative of the planet venus from astrology. Both the planet and the card signify love, relationships, and beauty. Almost every culture in the world has had some sort of system

for using the stars to divine answers about people and society. so it’s no wonder that astrology was incorporated into the tarot decks.

Many of the cards have very obvious symbols incoprated into the art. some appear in the form of planetary glyphs. the em-press card, for instance, has the glyph for venus on it. Alternaely, the justice card has a man holding the scales - a sybmol of the zodacal sign libra.

once quick way to dHv and prove that you are a master tarot card reader is to point out the astrological symbols on the cards as you read them. With a little research this techniuqe could make your tarot reading more powerful than ever before.

tHe astrologiCal symbol For Venus

By evolve

Venus as it appears in tHe empress Card From tHe rider-Waite deCk.

Four oF pentaCles:

this card expresses a strong financial foundation rightly earned, symbolized by the man’s solid stance and firm grip upon the pentacles. It can also portend a warning to be wary of monetary attachment. do not let it rule in the face of all other life endeavors.

FiVe oF pentaCles:

describes a position of poverty due to neglect. the stained glass window with shining pentacles

is a sign of hope in the future if it is embraced. six oF pentaCles:

Indicates a new wealth coming to the receiver. this new prosperity could come in many diverse

forms: a promotion, a raise, inheritance or lotto winning are just a few of the many possibilities.

profession and the rewards that will follow. the only caveat to the receiver form this card is not to remain overly focused on one task so that he/ she misses other opportunities.

nine oF pentaCles:

the woman in the card is dressed opulently and has a serene sense about her. this card shows that self-sufficiency and financial independence will be eventually achieved.

ten oF pentaCles:

this card is a representation of great wealth and can portend a large purchase such as a house or automobile.

page oF pentaCles:

the page can be seen as an image for the receiv-er who is entreceiv-ering into or ahs recently entreceiv-ered into a new financial or business endeavor, pro-fessional career or new job. the page displays the hope and optimism of this new journey and looks forward to the rewards, represented by the pentacle in his hand, that might be received. knigHt oF pentaCles:

A step above the page in a business or financial endeavor. the knight represents a growing in one’s business position (perhaps even a promo-tion), showing that the receiver will begin upon the road to mastery of his/her trade or begin to understand more clearly the benefits and nega-tives of investments and other financial endeav-ors.

queen oF pentaCles:

shows a further blossoming in the receiver’s business/financial life. the receiver has already or will begin to realize how to get more from his/her career or investments. the benefits will become bountiful and the receiver’s life will be well managed.

king oF pentaCles:

represents the ultimate in financial and career mastery. the king of Pentacles is a symbol of having conquered the material world and

seat-ing one’s self firmly in the throne of financial security.

sWords (air)

the swords represent the mind. they are associ-ated with the air element, which corresponds to intelligence and communication. they represent all things on an intellectual level.

aCe oF sWords:

this card represents, raw intelligence, justice, and logic. It is pure air and therefore, raw men-tal energy.

tWo oF sWords:

A woman sits blind folded with swords crossed against her chest. this card represents peace and balance. Arms crossed at the heart and eyes blindfolded she sits alone blocking off all outside stimuli both physical and emotional. she awaits coming change.

tHree oF sWords:

three swords driven through a heart. It repre-sents the heavy truth. It can represent the heart-break that can occur when the honest truth is revealed.

Four oF sWords:

the tomb of a knight or saint. this card repre-sents the manifestation of intelligence in the ma-terial world, the creation of dogma and author-ity in the intellectual realm.

FiVe oF sWords:

A man gathers the swords of his defeated friends. this card can represent open betrayal and dis-honest defeat. the defeat may also be due to lack of action or a tendency toward pacifism. six oF sWords:

the card depicts a child with a pilgrim or mis-sionary being brought to a new land. the boat has in it six swords representing the ideas that the missionary brings with him to the new land. this card is representative of the movement of

thought, a change in ideas that is brought from seVen oF pentaCles:

reflects the end of a hard labor that will eventu-ally reap many profitable rewards. the farmer in the card is contemplating his many labors and the harvest he will soon realize.

eigHt oF pentaCles:

one place to another. It represents a new frame of mind.

seVen oF sWords:

A man runs away from a military camp with swords in his hands several are left in the back-ground. He finds their battle to be futile and runs away to save his own skin. He no longer pays attention to the ideas of others; he has his own plans and his own thoughts. He looks back to remember what thoughts he is running from. the seven of swords represents the betrayal of

an idea.

eigHt oF sWords:

this card depicts a lone woman bound and blindfolded within a prison of swords. this card represents intelligence blinding us. the woman represents intuition, feeling and emotion; the swords represent intelligence and logical thought. dogma and policy binding our hands and blind-ing us from the truths that emotion may brblind-ing. nine oF sWords:

Intelligence, reason, and routine have over-whelmed this man. He cannot sleep and is on the verge of madness. He is intelligent yet un-enlightened. reason has taken control of his life

and emotion is no longer valid. this card repre-sents a complete loss of feeling due to do pro-cedure and routine. A change needs to be made in order to preserve the mind. It can represent depression, regret and worry, as well as an in-ability to forgive yourself and others.

ten oF sWords:

A man lies dead, on cracked, dry land with ten swords stuck in him, the sea is in the background. this is the logic of madmen. emotion is no

lon-ger part of the system. this man’s mind has been destroyed by lack of feeling. the cracked land represents this mans lack of water or emotion. this is where the idea has so many variables that

it no longer continues to make sense. the idea dies because it has been thought out too much and has become convoluted and confusing. this card represents the end of an idea or frame of mind.

page oF sWords:

this character is known for bringing “the news” no matter how positive or negative the news may be. the problems they bring will usually re-quire logic, and intelligence to solve rather than, emotion. this character generally materializes whatever ideas you may have had about a situ-ation.

knigHt oF sWords:

this character can appear emotionless as he judges the world around him with only logic and reason. He is a diplomatic character, who is in-tolerant of stupidity and will always be prepared to voice his opinion.

queen oF sWords:

the queen of swords is a character of truth. Be assured that this character will “tell it like it is” revealing the truth even if it’s unwanted. she is witty and perceptive. she can often come off as arrogant.

king oF sWords:

the king of swords is an intelligent, analytical character who is able to absorb and interpret information very quickly. He prefers to explain

his ideas honestly and with clarity. He can be a harsh judge of morale or intellectual matters.

Cups (Water)

these cards are related to the emotions and feelings of the receiver. cups are associated with water, which is generally symbolic of the emotion and intuition.

aCe oF Cups:

As the first card of the suit of cups it is a repre-sentation of the beginning of the opening up of the heart. the receiver will begin to allow new emotion and possibly romance to enter his/her life.

tWo oF Cups:

the card shows two individuals exchanging cups representing the beginning of a new friendship or relationship and the exchange of emotion that occurs in the initial stages of creating this bond.

tHree oF Cups:

this card shows the joyous culmination of an emotional undertaking. Perhaps an endeavor

entered into by the receiver and his/her friends will end on a highly positive note followed by a festive gathering as seen on the card

Four oF Cups:

this card shows an individual detached from the world and the emotions of others. this may rep-resent the receiver or an acquaintance of the re-ceiver. this individual is not willing to accept any more emotional responsibility than he already has acquired.

FiVe oF Cups:

A powerful and ominous looking card that por-trays the recent or potential loss of something or someone dear to the receiver. It is important for the receiver to accept this loss, grieve and continue on with life.

six oF Cups:

this card represents a possible encounter with an individual that held emotional sway over the receiver in the past or a strong remembrance of that individual and emotions.

seVen oF Cups:

this card reveals the many choices that need to be made in the matters of emotion and the heart. the need for such a choice is quickly ap-proaching the receiver of this card.

eigHt oF Cups:

represents a spiritual departure from matters of emotion. the man in the card is walking away from his emotional attachments in order to gain clearer insight. this card suggest the receiver do the same if only for a short period of time. nine oF Cups:

this well known tarot card is commonly called the wish card. the wish card is a card of strong affirmation. If a receiver is asking a pure yes or no question and this card turns up, it can be viewed as an emphatic yes. It portrays that all that we dream can be realized especially when dealing with emotional satisfaction.

ten oF Cups:

this is the ultimate reward that the suit of num-bered cups offers. the card displays that future rewards are near at hand for emotional invest-ments the receiver has put forth in family ties and in other relationships.

page oF Cups:

the youthful page of this card has a gentle na-ture and is quite ready to give of his emotions willingly. this card represents a readiness to enter into new emotional bonds. these new bonds, however, may be entered into naively as the page is a figure of little experience.

knigHt oF Cups:

the noble knight on this card is portrayed as just about to cross over a river. this symbolism foretells that the receiver is about to enter into or is now ready to enter into a relationship of a romantic nature. the card may also suggest the emotional strengthening of a pre-existing rela-tionship.

queen oF Cups:

this queen is shown looking forth across a sea of water (emotion). she is one who tenderly looks after the emotional well being of others. this card foretells the need of the receiver to also do so or allow such a giving person into his/ her life.

king oF Cups:

represents a mastery of emotion. this is dis-played by his calm manner as he floats on a body of water, the symbol of emotion and matters of the mind. the king foretells that the receiver will learn to master his/her own emotions just as the receiver will calm an existing uneasy emo-tional situation.

tHe one cArd

tArot reAd

Make the shuffle an experience. start by telling her to close her eyes and think of a personal question that she would like answered. While she’s thinking con-tinue to shuffle. After a minute put the deck down in front of her. tell her to place her hand on the deck and focus on the question. now pick up the cards, cut the deck, and quickly shuffle one more time.

After shuffling, place the cards in front of her one last time and tell her to choose a card from somewhere in the deck. Move the rest of the deck away and place the cards between the two of you.

sHuFFle tHe deCk

CHoose tHe Card

First impression

read Her Card

once you’ve placed the card between you and her, ask her, “at first glance what does this card make you feel?” she should begin to tell you her thoughts on this card. Be sure to remember what she says, because you can use what she says later on when you read her.

After she tells you about her first im-pression of the card it will be your turn to read the card for her. start by describing the images on the card. For example, if the card looks like an angel raising the dead then say, “It’s an angel raising the dead.” now combine what she told you about her first impression with some basic metaphors for the card to create a short but intriguing cold read. -Evolve

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styleliFe

gypsy’s terot Card reading layout

Figure 1. The four card placement, with the leader card at the top. Figure 2. The Justice card is revealed as the leader card and sets the theme for the reading.

Figure 3. The Death card is revealed, and the story continues. Figure 4. The final cards, Teperance and The hanged Man are turned over taking the reading to it’s end point.