Conflicting Card Meanings & the Rolodex Technique
I may be dating myself with this metaphor, but so be it! Back in the olden times we had these nifty contraptions called rolodexes. An unfurled binder of cards arranged by alphabet, you’d write people’s contact information - phone number, address, etc. - on a card. Sitting by your rotary landline phone you could flip through the rolodex, find the number of the person you wanted to dial, and spin away.
Rolodexes have gone by the wayside (so much so, that I couldn’t find a stock image of one - hence the book above) but they’e a useful framework when it comes to tarot meanings. Let me explain.
You may have gotten or conducted a reading that referenced a book almost exclusively. This happens a lot in the beginning stage of learning tarot and is where people often get overwhelmed. It’s 78 cards! That’s a huge volume of images and meanings to become familiar with. The fact that almost all tarot books and little white books (the ones that come with the decks) feature multiple and sometimes contradictory meanings makes the challenge feel nearly insurmountable. How can you create a coherent reading when the meanings are so divergent?
A book-based reading might go something like this:
“So, you have the Knight of Cups here, which means a romantic person with youthful energy coming into your life. This person is charming and mercurial but also could be noncommittal and casually cruel. It’s a time of great romance and adventure but also heartrending emotion. Oh, and this could be about you. Beware of making rash decisions, but also immerse yourself in creative projects and adventures you’ve never tried before.”
Huh?
In this reading, the person is throwing the kitchen sink at the card, actually reading the entire entry verbatim. This makes sense if you’re thinking about the content of tarot books as definitive; say, an entry in a dictionary.
But tarot is an art form not a linguistic system. It’s poetic, not literal, and relies as much on the readers’ intuition and the present moment to unfurl into something transformative and impactful. In other words, you can’t just string definitions together.
Which is where the rolodex comes in.
Instead of treating your readings as a grammatical problem, one where you can consult your dictionary and insert its meaning without much thought or art, think of it as a line of contact with the cards themselves, each being a gateway into whole worlds of meaning.
Over the years you’ll be collecting all sorts of meanings, associations, and experiences with the cards. These are like numbers, addresses, and emails in your rolodex. Each is different but goes to the same place. The Five of Cups can be grief and it can also be release, an emotional turning point, and an old wound. Among any number of other things. Each time you read will be different. Maybe you’ll only need one entry in your rolodex, maybe you’ll need several in a reading. But you certainly won’t need the whole bunch. (Trust me, you’ll have a lot of options as you continue your studies.)
What’s important in this system is that you realize you’re the one making contact with the cards. You’re the reader and your knowledge, intuition, and awareness guides the reading. Yes, it’s more responsibility, but it’s also a lot more empowering, enjoyable and coherent than reading entire lists of meanings at yourself or your querent.
Want to learn more about how to use this technique? Ready to start your tarot journey? I’m now offering one-on-one lessons at a discounted rate. Book now or reach out with any questions, and do let me know your thoughts in the comments below.