My method

Some backstory

I’d only been working on the tarot hotlines for about a month and had been slammed hard by a vicious bad review. My other job was unraveling and I was living on the edge at home, too, where troubles with my then-roommate were brewing and beginning to threaten whatever peace of mind I had left. I needed a quick fix, something to make my readings fast and juicy, worth the $4.99 per minute my clients were paying for. I had no time to waste pondering on whether a card was talking about one person or another, a situation or a feeling. No time for waxing poetic or talking myself and my querents in circles.

My copy of Marianne’s book, before I’d completely tattered it

At the time I was reading Marianne Costa’s Le Tarot Pas à Pas (the best tarot book out there) and at one point she was going through the different ways to break down a tarot deck. When she so simply stated what I already knew (and you probably do, too): 

Any tarot deck consists of 22 Major Arcana cards, 16 court cards, and 40 pips (or numbered Minor Arcana).

Seeing it spelled out like that in print somehow cracked my mind open. I rushed to the floor, as my desk was cluttered, and separated my nearest deck into three piles. 

The division

The three parts of a tarot deck

Get on the floor (or desk, if yours isn’t cluttered) and separate your Tarot deck into three piles: Majors, Court cards, and Pips. 

Please note this works best on Marseille-type decks, where the artwork is more crude and expressive, and each character is looking toward a distinct direction. Their body language is much clearer than that of Rider-Waite decks, where most court cards simply look forward and have tiny, inexpressive dots for eyes. I credit Enrique Enríquez for enlightening me about the way Marseille-type cards make poetry and interact with each other. As he says, they rhyme.

They’re facing each other yet looking at nothing

The goal is to quickly read on a relationship, usually between two people or characters (though this can be adapted). 

The court cards

First, lay out two of the court cards after shuffling. Let’s call them Party A and Party B. These two are the heart of the reading. They represent how each individual is showing up in the relationship. I always place my querent on the left side (Party A) and the person they are asking about (Party B) to their right.

They are looking at and engaged with each other, but both parties are two very different flavors of guarded

Notice if they look at or away from each other. What are they looking at? What kind of flow or lack thereof is drawn by the drawn lines that make up their bodies and clothes? Do they seem to be in sync or is there a rift between them?

That alone could be a reading. Read the cards as you would read any two individuals’ vibes when people-watching. This works best if you already have a certain familiarity with each court card, but fret not if you don’t, as it can be a great way to build such familiarity. 

The pips

The six of wands between them speaks to me of passion and chemistry between two very guarded people These two might happily get a prenup.

Now shuffle your pile of pips and place one in between Party A and Party B to represent the current state of their connection. Two of cups? They’re drooling over each other. Three of swords? They’re heartbroken and obsessed. I’m oversimplifying, but you get the idea.

Place another pip to the side of each Party. These will give us some context for each person. Observe the court cards again now. Are they looking at the relationship, at their context? Are they shying away from anything? Why might that be? 

Now the king of coins seems to be guarding his material wealth, while the queen of swords protects her broken heart.

Maybe Party A is two-of-cupping it with their boo, but their gaze slips to the left at a five of coins. Is Party A distracted from true love because they’re really broke? Maybe there’s a seven of swords between the two and Party B is hiding a three of cups behind their back. Is Party B lying and trying to cover up their affair and secret relationship? The pip cards really add some spice. 

The Major Arcana

Now let’s get some perspective. When singled out in this way, Major Arcana to me signifies the big picture or overarching moment/theme, in contrast to the more day-to-day vibe of the pips. Minor arcana are the puppets, and major arcana are the puppeteers, if you will. 

Place one Major Arcana card above the pip you used before to signify the relationship. Another Major Arcana above Party A, and a final one above Party B. 

The King is compelled to invest in this relationship, and the queen is feeling powerful in her decision-making. The lust between them is strong and ever-so-tempting

You should now have a somewhat heart-shaped and extremely readable set of cards on the table. I found it a lot quicker and more digestible to read about relationships this way, with the court cards always acting as people and each card signifying its own specific role. My hotline clients have been really grateful too, praising me for my quickness, depth, and detail.

Now you try it! If you have any questions, please be in touch. I’d love to see what you do with it! 

The face of she who came up with the recipe, and my dog Novio for good luck