File created: 2026-04-19
Reflective Questions
Do an intensive study of that card, ruminating on the following:
- What story does the imagery of the card seem to tell?
- Are there any secondary stories going on in the background of the card, or among the other figures?
- How would you describe the expressions on the faces of any characters depicted?
- Are any archetypal figures featured in the card?
- What is the dominant color scheme in the card?
- Are there any historical, religious, or mythical references in the cards?
- Note every symbol in the card and consider what each symbol might represent to you.
- When you flip the card over in reverse, how do your impressions of the card change?
— Benebell Wen, Holistic Tarot supplementary exercises
Get used to interpreting the cards in different ways… almost every time. … Always ask the question: “What does this card mean in relation to <what>?”
— Liz Worth, at a workshop on April 21, 2026
The Principle of Reader’s Choice
This was a principle explained to me by Liz Worth at one of her tarot workshops (April 21, 2026). It wasn’t explained to me as a “principle” to follow unto death, but I’m calling it one because it struck me as a good idea to keep it in mind.
You [the reader] choose what’s relevant in what you read.
Later in the workshop, she connected this idea to the trouble with reading in spreads. When you read a spread, I’m paraphrasing, there is a temptation to include information in a reading that’s not actually relevant to the question at hand. I wouldn’t call this a hard-and-fast rule, since maybe it’s helpful to connect different areas of one’s life to a question, even if the question is asking about a specific part.