Welcome back to Black Mirror Alchemy
The Second Installment of "No Reading is Truly a Cold Reading"
In this week's post, we will explore the role motivation and emotion play in the tarot reading space. To do this, we will seek the help of the Knight of Swords to explore the momentum and movement associated with our interpretations of the world.
Knight of Swords
The Knight of Swords is a fast-moving, no-nonsense warrior. He has prepared his whole life for the battles ahead and can deploy his skills in various situations. Embodying this knight can be intimidating due to his fast-talking, intelligent, aggressive, and proactive nature. However, what truly makes the knight tick is his ability to hone and manipulate the element of air. He can be persuasive and attractive, confrontational and direct, or intellectual and cold. Because of Mercury's influence, you never know which side of this figure you are going to get when he appears in a reading.
Today, we will focus on the knight's persuasive and attractive abilities. Unlike the romantic Knight of Cups, the Knight of Swords uses his book smarts in real-world applications. Unlike the detail-oriented Page of Swords, the Knight quantifies and manipulates the "vibe" of a situation, seeking wholeness through analysis.
To set an appropriate tone and understand what drives your querent to seek your counsel, you need a foundational knowledge of human emotions and motivations.
Motivation
Why do people do things? What motivates us to accomplish tasks? These are the questions that the Knight of Swords is deeply interested in understanding. For him, a tarot reading is not just what appears on the surface but represents an expression of a deep need held by the querent. If he can figure out what that need is, he can construct a reading to meet that need.
One principle to consider is Drive Theory, which suggests that humans are motivated to act when their physical state becomes unbalanced. For example, a drop in blood sugar leads to hunger, lightheadedness, and irritability, prompting us to eat and restore balance. Similarly, when someone asks for a tarot reading, they experience a desire to stabilize themselves in some way.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
One way to think about different drives is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. You will notice that tarot becomes more helpful the higher up the hierarchy. For example, I never do tarot readings for issues at the base levels, as these often require professional assistance (e.g., medical, legal, psychological).
At the bottom of the pyramid are physiological needs—basic elements for keeping your body alive, like food, hydration, movement, sleep, and warmth. If these aren't met, the rest of the hierarchy doesn't matter. I don't think I've personally ever given a reading to someone struggling to meet these needs.
The next tier involves our needs for safety and security, such as housing, transportation, and income. Here, you might encounter querents facing serious problems like job loss or eviction. Again, I would advise against giving tarot readings in these situations. Direct them to appropriate resources instead.
Quick Tips
You may read for people experiencing issues at the bottom of the hierarchy, but their questions may not directly relate to those needs. For example, someone might ask for a reading about choosing a college major, but the cards may reveal deeper issues.
Look out for cards indicating manipulation or subterfuge: Death (XIII), The Moon (XVIII), II of Swords, or the VIII of Swords. If these appear with The Empress (III), The Hermit (IX), Ace of Pentacles, V of Pentacles, or the Queen of Pentacles, the querent may be concealing lower hierarchy needs.
If you have trouble reading for a client, do a quick calibration reading for yourself to see if the issues are deeper than the question suggests.
Now, let's move to the third and fourth tiers: Psychological Needs.
In the third level, we find our need for belonging and love. Here, we get common querent requests like:
- "How is my relationship going?"
- "Am I crushing on this person, or am I actually in love?"
- "Should I break up with my partner?"
- "How do I improve my relationship with my parents?"
Humans have a deep need to belong, love, and be loved. The suit of Cups in tarot helps us process our personal feelings and integrate them into relationships. These questions are usually sincere, and you will receive many requests for these kinds of readings.
For more information about elements, suits, and numerology, check out one of my previous posts here: Elements, Suits, and Numerology
Once our need to belong is satisfied, we move to our esteem needs in the fourth tier. Here, we explore our relationship with ourselves, our values, and our life goals. The questions you'll receive involve goal achievements, aspirations, finding paths, and psychological healing from past experiences.
In my experience, these two categories of needs are often confused in tarot readings. For example, I once did a reading for a college student about his post-graduation plans. The spread had an overwhelming amount of Cups, revealing underlying relationship problems affecting his decision-making process.
At the peak of the Hierarchy of Needs is Self-Actualization. Here, a person with met needs works on transcendence. While Maslow argued that self-actualization is rare, many aspire to it. In tarot readings, you often guide querents back to practical needs that aren't being met to help them move up the hierarchy.
The Return of the Knight of Swords
With the concepts of Drive Theory and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the Knight of Swords can discern the true motivations for a tarot reading. Some readings are straightforward, but you may encounter situations where the overt questions don't match the underlying needs.
Remember, all tarot readings have a message for both the querent and the reader. Take a moment to understand what the cards might be saying to you about the reading. Pay attention to subtext and avoid forcing the cards into what you think the querent wants.
Quick Tips for Reading Subtext
- Look at the elements/suits present and absent. If no pentacles appear in a job-related reading, that's a sign.
- Look at the numbers present and absent. If a querent feels stuck but the cards range from 8-10, they might be concluding a cycle, not starting one.
These tips can help you assess the vibe of a tarot reading and understand the motivations and needs underlying it. By looking below the surface, you can deliver a more meaningful reading.
New Spread: The Generalist Mystic
This week, I want to share a spread I use for public readings, inspired by the English Spread but more streamlined for quick readings.
The first card in the center anchors the reading. Use this card to calibrate with the querent and their question. Cards 2-5 support the center card with details. You can read them as different elements or aspects of the center card, or look at directionality:
- Top two cards: higher values and aspirations
- Bottom cards: unconscious influences
- Right cards: masculine or active elements
- Left cards: feminine or receptive elements
I hope you found this post helpful in your tarot journey! Thank you for reading!
Learn more about the English Spread
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