Clarification Cards
Using clarification cards is an important technique for gaining greater insight when the meanings of particular cards in a reading remain obscure or difficult to interpret.
Interpreting the cards can sometimes be a struggle. Even the most experienced Readers are sometimes stumped by the images in front of them. This is where clarification cards can be a useful tool in a reading.
They help the Reader to detect the salient message of a specific card more clearly. The clarification card acts as a lens, offering information that brings the meaning of the original card into sharper focus.
What is a Clarification Card?
Occasionally, one or more cards in a Spread are difficult to interpret. In some cases, the traditional meaning assigned to a card may not make sense in the context of the question.
At other times, specific card meanings elude both the Reader and the client, disrupting the flow of the reading. More frustratingly, there will be readings where the Reader and client sense the importance of a card but neither can come up with a satisfying interpretation.
These occasions call for clarification cards. These are additional cards drawn to illuminate or clarify the meaning of another card. When intuition and insight are blocked by frustration, a clarification card offers additional insight into the message of a challenging card.
Benefits of Clarification Cards
Not all Readers will choose to incorporate clarification cards into their practice, but there are several good reasons for doing so. These include:
Customer satisfaction. Querents expect readings to provide clarity. A card that proves hard to interpret or fails to result in a satisfying conclusion can be fixed using clarification cards to resolve the confusion and relieve tension.
Professional growth. Clarification cards work like lenses, bringing the meaning of a card into sharper focus by filtering it through another perspective. Every time the Reader is challenged by a card, their understanding of the original card is enhanced, thereby improving their ability to interpret that card in the future.
Fun. Clarification cards can add an element of surprise to a reading, often taking the interpretation of a card in completely unexpected directions. Used with wisdom and discretion, they can make a reading more interesting and engaging.
When to Ask For Clarification
Clarification cards should be used in the following situations:
The meaning of the card escapes the Reader. Sometimes the Reader looks at a card and feels no connection with the symbolism in the imagery. A clarification card can provide extra inspiration and allow their intuition to kick in again.
The Querent resists a valid interpretation. A sitter sometimes becomes their own worst enemy, refusing to see blatant and important messages in a specific card. Drawing a clarification card can reinforce the message, making unwelcome observations harder to ignore.
The Querent and Reader disagree about an interpretation. Conflicting agendas and personal prejudices can result in a stalemate when the Reader and Querent are unable to agree on the meaning of a card. Drawing a clarification card can settle the argument by indicating which interpretation is the most valid. It may also suggest another direction entirely.
Additional information is needed. Cards can predict particular events. For example, a card could suggest a meeting with a tall, dark and handsome man. The Querent may ask, 'When will this happen?' or 'How old will he be?' A clarification card can provide additional details, bringing the overall picture into sharper focus.
How to Use Clarification Cards
Once a problematic card has been identified, then the Reader simply picks another card. This should be drawn from the top of the deck and placed on the table beside or slightly overlapping the card in question. The meaning of the clarification card therefore becomes a filter for the meaning of the first. The earlier card is reinterpreted in light of the extra information provided by the clarification.
Seeking Advice
Cards often appear which present the Querent with a challenge. This is especially the case if a large Spread - for example, the Celtic Cross - is used and the final outcome is problematic or challenging. As the 'outcome card' (or any final card in a Spread) is so important to the Querent's perception of the whole reading, clarification cards can be used to give clarity when this is needed.
Say, the problematic Five of Pentacles - representing need and poverty - appears as a final outcome card. If this happens, a clarification card may be drawn to give more advice about how to overcome or avert the challenge.
Many modern Readers believe in a flexible future which is not predestined. If a card appears and feels undesirable, pull a clarification card for advice on how to circumnavigate the challenge (keeping in mind that challenges promote growth.
Learning how to use clarification cards correctly is a good way to enrich your Tarot practice. It is important to remember that they should be used sparingly to be effective.
Uncovering Secrets
Clarification cards can reveal blind spots. Perhaps a Spread is too logical and action-oriented for the topic under discussion, in which case an extra card can be drawn to examine feelings and emotions. The new card may switch a black-and-white reading to full colour.
Resolving and Reinterpreting
Take a look a the following example which shows how using a clarification card in a reading might work.
Imagine that a friend of the Reader's called Sue asks, 'What can I do to find a new boyfriend?' The Reader draws a card to represent the first steps: the Four of Pentacles. The Reader feels this card means, 'Be less selfish,' but Sue adamantly disagrees, insisting the card means, 'Save up a lot of money.'
To settle the disagreement, the friends draw a clarification card: the Six of Pentacles. This card, depicting a man distributing wealth, seems to side with the Reader, forcing Sue to consider how her consecutive ways may be working against her romantic goals.
Points To Remember
Bear in mind the following tips when you start to practice using clarification cards in your readings:
To maintain their effectiveness, clarification cards should be used sparingly. Avoid the temptation to draw one for every card in a spread.
Don't keep selecting clarification cards until you get the exact answer you are looking for. This will render your readings null and void.
If a single card spawns multiple questions, the Reader may draw several clarification cards as a means of exploring the original card further.
Have the guts to walk away. Sometimes, the magic or electricity is missing from a reading. If you don't feel fully engaged in the reading, don't always resort to clarification cards. You can still offer your Querent advice and insights.
