Reading by theme: love, work, money and relationships

(Intermediate · about 4 minutes to read)

A card’s meaning doesn’t fit into a single word. Which side of it catches the light depends on the theme of the question. The Four of Pentacles, for example, can mean holding your position steadily at work, saving and cutting back when it comes to money, and possessiveness, not wanting to let the other person go, in love. This lesson introduces the points of view worth keeping in mind for each theme.

1.Cards worth reading differently by theme

The Four of Pentacles, the Lovers and the Hermit. Each of them changes focus with the theme of the question.

2.Reading for love

In love, watch what the Cups (feelings) and Wands (passion) are doing. Cups show the depth of feeling and hearts meeting; Wands show excitement and the drive to act. When there are many Swords, crossed words or overthinking hold the key to the relationship. When there are many Pentacles, practical matters such as daily life and plans for the future are the key. When reading the other person’s feelings, it matters to avoid pronouncing on them. What the cards reflect is “the person as you see them” or “the tendency of the relationship”; they don’t speak fully for the other person’s heart.

3.Common readings in love

• The Lovers: in love, a strong bond. At the same time, it also means “choosing the values you truly want to hold on to”.
• The Hermit: in love, a time of keeping your distance, or time alone to sort out your feelings. It can also be read not as cooling off but as thinking deeply.
• The Two of Cups: hearts meeting, a relationship between equals.
• The Three of Swords: sadness and hurt. But healing begins when you acknowledge the pain.

4.Reading for work

At work, the Wands (motivation, plans) and Pentacles (results, skills, income) take centre stage. Swords stand for judgement and negotiation, and Cups for job satisfaction and relationships at work. In a question about changing jobs or going freelance, the Ace of Wands or the Fool is a tailwind for a new challenge, while the Eight or Three of Pentacles shows the value of polishing your skills where you are. In work readings, try to bring things down to concrete actions: what to do, and when.

5.Reading for money

For money questions, the Pentacles speak most directly. The Two of Pentacles shows juggling and balancing income and spending, the Six of Pentacles giving and receiving, and the Nine of Pentacles prosperity you have built by your own efforts. But tarot is not a tool for making specific investment decisions or setting sums of money. Make big financial decisions alongside expert advice and research, and use the cards as hints for rethinking how you relate to money.

6.Reading for relationships and family

For relationships with colleagues, friends and family, court cards appear often. As you learned in Lesson 6, consider whether to read them as people or as sides of yourself. And when a relationship is troubling you, asking “what can I do?” rather than “how can I change them?” gives answers you can act on.

7.About health questions

For questions about your health, don’t use the cards in place of a diagnosis. If you have symptoms that worry you, seeing a doctor comes first. Tarot is best used for hints on looking after yourself, such as how to rest, or noticing when your mind is tired.

8.Three questions that work for any theme

• Which side of the theme (feelings, actions, practical reality, thoughts) is this card shining a light on?
• If I turned this card into something I can do today, what would it be?
• What is this card telling me that I have been overlooking?

9.When you draw without a theme

A common mistake is to draw for “general luck” without choosing a theme, then fit the card to whatever theme suits you afterwards. The Four of Cups, for example, gives completely different advice by theme: in love, “you haven’t noticed the affection being offered to you”; at work, “you are stuck in a rut in your current job”; with money, “you are letting an opportunity in front of you pass by”. When the reading wavers, none of the advice stays with you. Simply deciding “today I’m asking about work” before you draw makes the same card start speaking far more concretely.

10.An example of reading by theme

The Four of Cups. In the Waite deck, a young man sits under a tree with his arms folded while a hand from a cloud offers him a fourth cup (you can see it on the Waite tab in the card encyclopedia).

11.Practice

For each of the three cards the Lovers, the Four of Pentacles and the Hermit, write a one-line reading for love, work and money. Once you have all nine readings, compare them with the descriptions in the card encyclopedia.

12.Quick quiz

Q1. In a love question, many Swords come up. What is a natural reading?

• Crossed words or overthinking hold the key
• Your money luck is rising
• You will definitely break up

Answer: Crossed words or overthinking hold the key. Swords are the suit of thought and words, so in love they suggest that communication or overthinking is the theme.

Q2. What attitude matters when reading another person’s feelings?

• Take it as the person as you see them, or the tendency of the relationship
• Tell the other person the result and check with them
• Declare the cards’ result to be their true feelings

Answer: Take it as the person as you see them, or the tendency of the relationship. The cards don’t speak fully for someone else’s heart. Avoid pronouncing on it and use it as a hint about the relationship.

Q3. What is the right attitude when using tarot about health?

• Stop treatment if a bad card comes up
• Diagnose illness with the cards
• See a doctor about worrying symptoms, and use the cards as hints for looking after yourself

Answer: See a doctor about worrying symptoms, and use the cards as hints for looking after yourself. Tarot is no substitute for medical care. Health worries should go to a professional first.

13.Draw a card

Yorozu Goyomi’s tarot reading lets you do a one-card draw, a three-card spread, an either-or reading and the Celtic Cross. Look up the meanings of all 78 cards in the tarot card encyclopedia.