The “Voice in the Card” technique

You would be in good company if you thought the many different interpretations of tarot seem to contradict one another. As a new reader the sheer volume of tarot interpretations can seem overwhelming and confusing at best, intimidating and off-putting at worst.  I am here to tell you today that tarot is so multi-layered that each of those interpretations are valid, but that you need not feel bound by any. Well, not for this exercise…

There are so many different ways to approach and read tarot, but today I’d like to discuss a profoundly simple technique that enables anyone to read tarot, even those amongst us who have never read before! The “Voice in the Card” is a tarot reading technique taught by the Amberstones from The Tarot School in New York. It is a one-card reading technique that can be performed by anyone who is able to see the imagery of the card.

The trick is to totally disregard anything and everything you have ever learnt about the interpretation of that card, not because those interpretations are invalid, but because they are irrelevant in this particular approach. 

We begin by asking a question. Think about your question carefully then try to frame it in a manner that is most specific and to the point. Now draw a single card from your favourite deck. Allow your eyes to wander slowly over the image on the card without any thought of traditional interpretations that may be linked to it. Slowly look at each aspect of the image, as-if with new eyes. Don’t rush it, you absolutely should take your time. Eventually one small detail in the image will hold your attention. Ask yourself what this small detail may be telling you in relation to the question that you asked. Remember, this is a purely intuitive exercise, there are no ‘wrong’ answers. The answer to your question is contained in that small detail in the image, as you intuit it!

As an example let’s consider the following scenario: A client tells me that she is concerned about her sudden weight gain. She is careful about what she eats, ensures that she gets regular exercise, and her doctor seems unable to pin-point the reason for her unexplained weight gain. She asks me whether the tarot can give her a clue or direct her towards the cause of this shift in weight.

Bearing in mind that I am not a health professional and she knows this, I decide to apply the ‘Voice in the Card’ technique to shed some light on her issue. The card that presents itself to me in this reading is the Ace of Pentacles from the Universal Waite deck.

Ignoring the traditional associations and interpretations that are linked to this card I allow my eyes to examine it until one detail ‘jumps out’ at me. The hand holding a pentacle, but more so the actual hand itself. The longer I look at it, the more pronounced this hand becomes. I conclude that it is definitely trying to tell me something!

Going only on intuition I ask my client whether she has experienced any tingling or numbness in her fingers. She is surprised at my question and tells me that she has suffered from Carpal Tunnel syndrome for which she had surgery on the one hand, but she had noticed that the other hand had also recently started to exhibit the same symptoms.

I tell her that according to the book Natural Progesterone by Anna Rushton & Dr Shirley A Bond, Carpal Tunnel can be symptomatic of an under-active thyroid, a condition that is notoriously difficult to detect through blood tests. I suggest to her that she revisits her doctor and ask him to test her saliva for an under-active thyroid instead, as many women have reported that their doctors only successfully detected an under-active thyroid as a result of the narrower range that the saliva tests consider to be ‘normal’ when trying to determine whether the thyroid is functioning optimally or not. She is yet to report back to me, but I am pretty confident that this alternative medical approach may lead her closer to discovering the cause of her unexplained weight gain.

This is how powerful the Voice in the Card technique can be, and the good news is that no former knowledge of tarot is required to use it!

If you are still not convinced of how profound this method of reading is, here’s another short example. My husband recently misplaced his passport, We looked everywhere for it, even in the most unlikely places. Eventually, out of sheer desperation I consulted the tarot using the Voice in the Card technique. I asked it quite simply to tell me where his passport is. The card that I drew was the Ace of Cups, also from the Universal Waite deck. The detail that attracted my attention was that of a dove holding a cross in its beak. The posture of the dove suggested that it was ‘bowing’ to the cross. The first words that came to my mind when I saw this was ‘Holy Ghost.’ At first I was totally confused (and even a little bit annoyed) as I could not for the life of me figure out why I would see ‘Holy Ghost’ as a clue to finding the missing passport, especially as we are a Pagan family! Yet, the hunch persisted… Then it dawned on me, in our home there are two spaces that we consider especially ‘holy.’ My tarot studio and my husband’s ‘Magic room’ (temple.) Going purely on gut instinct I asked him to check his Magic Room for the passport, as unlikely as what that sounded. As he opened the door to the room, there was the missing passport in full view!

Convinced yet? Give it a try and let me know how you fare with this Voice in the Card technique. I look forward to hearing from you!