Negative Cards - Part 1
A Tarot Reader must learn how to deal with negative cards arising in a reading and easing a Querent's fears about Arcana with unfavourable associations.
Some cards, like Death and the Tower, can be associated with bad outcomes and invoke fear and anxiety in both Readers and Querents.
As part of their Tarot journey, all Readers must come to terms with the cards they find troublesome or uncomfortable.
They should try to understand their own emotional reactions to these so-called negative cards and know how to utilise them when they appear during readings they do for themselves.
Another important step is learning how to deal with a Querent's negative reaction to any card or image they find difficult.
The Reader's Reaction
Ideally, as you learn Tarot, you will fearlessly accept and face everything it has to teach you about yourself, good and bad. You will learn that the Death card need not be interpreted literally, the Five of Swords means more than defeat at the hands of another and the Eight of Swords can represent the ability to break free. Yet some Readers will find these cards tricky, causing strong, frightening or negative reactions.
During the process of learning to read Tarot, it is perfectly acceptable to remove any card that makes you uncomfortable, for example by taking them out of the deck you use for your Card of the Day practice. A beginner might not want to face the Death card first thing on a Monday morning.
However, the more you embrace and work with challenging Tarot images, the faster your practice will evolve. Time and study integrate every card into your readings - just give yourself time and take it easy if you find certain images troubling.
Challenges in Tarot are like challenges in life, in that they provoke growth. The best way to integrate Tarot is to regard the cards as 78 reflections of you. In life, if you don't face the challenges then you will not be able to effect change. Similarly, an acceptance of difficult or negative or negative cards will encourage the development of resilience. Try to receive obstacles as gifts that prompt your evolution and welcome rather than reject them.
Scary Cards
Readers must be prepared to deal with the following potentially problematic cards, whether they are working with a Querent or reading for themselves.
Death: This can be associated with a literal death, physical illness or the realisation of a Querent's worst fears.
The Tower: Suggests ruin, destruction and despair.
The Devil: Often thought of as pure evil and a symbol of destruction, darkness and negativity.
The Five of Pentacles: Represents poverty and defeat.
The Three of Swords: Symbolises heartache, betrayal and the image of a broken heart.
The Nine of Swords: Usually seen as indicating distress, nightmares, remorse, regret and grief.
The Ten of Swords: Often depicts a person pierced by ten swords, suggesting death, violence, betrayal and cruelty.
The Queen of Swords: Traditionally connected to ideas of widowhood, mourning, revenge, malice and sterility.
Ancient Symbols
Remember that different decks will portray cards in different ways. Sometimes it is not the cards that are overly negative, but the images on them. Examples of this are the Queen and King of Swords, who are sometimes portrayed holding severed heads in their hands. While this made sense as an esoteric symbol in the early 20th century, it may now bring forth powerful negative feelings in a Reader or Querent.
Do not allow the presence of negative cards to take precedence over all other aspects found in a reading. This could make the entire interpretation unnecessarily pessimistic and anxiety-provoking.
Reset the Course
The first step to handling a potentially negative situation is to understand for yourself and explain to a Querent that the cards are symbolic - and that these symbols should not always be taken literally. Often, even though the image on the card shows something unsettling or troubling, the reality of the deeper meaning may be reframed in a positive way, as in the following examples:
Death: Indicates the end of something, but also suggests a transformation that could set you free.
The Tower: Indicates the destruction of a mental or physical prison and suggests learning an important lesson.
The Devil: Represents the passions, instincts and hidden parts of oneself, as well as the prospect of a rip-roaring good time.
The Five of Pentacles: Indicates need, but also prudence and economy. Additionally, it can represent the ups and downs of a married couple and their ability to stick together through tough times.
The Three of Swords: Represents the ability to overcome pain and suffering and become stronger as a result.
The Nine of Swords: Indicates the possibility of communicating with one's conscience and learning to take responsibilities seriously. The card also suggests that issues are worse in one's mind than in reality.
The Ten of Swords: Represents catharsis, liberation and the resolution of a difficult problem.
The Queen of Swords: Indicates a superior intellect and an individual's ability to do what feels right, even when it goes against the opinions of others.
With experience, a Reader will learn to understand that negativity and hardships for themselves and their Querent are instruments of growth and harbingers of change that can transform an ordinary life into an extraordinary one.
Querents are often nervous or scared about the future and, as a result, may project their own personal fears onto the cards.
From Good to Bad
Turn negativity in the Tarot upside-down by looking for the dark side of the most optimistic cards. Select your favourite, most positive card and think about what challenging issues it might bring up.
Tak the Sun, for example - a card that speaks of brilliance, truth, light and joy. What negative aspects could be associated with it?
You might think about the Sun's capacity to set things on fire or to blind people who look straight at it. Once you have considered the bad side of your favourite positive card, try the same exercise in reverse with a card that you might find worrying or frightening.
Codename: Spooky Cards
Some Readers don't like using the word 'negative' to describe cards, as each one contains both a negative and positive aspect. Instead, some Tarot users opt for the term 'spooky cards'.
One card that has a - most undeserved - negative reputation is the Hierophant. While it is not traditionally viewed as a spooky card certain Readers and Querents will have an intuitive dislike of the card because of its association with organised religion. A technique for dealing with negative cards may be useful in these circumstances.
Updated
21 January 2025 at 22:27:39
