Tarot says ‘Wait.”
Occasionally, when doing a reading, you’ll turn your cards and say, “Meh.” Those cards just won’t cough up the goods. We expect to get advice, suggestions how to act or at least some hint of how events are unfolding. Have you thought that these ‘lazy’ cards mean exactly that – it’s time to do nothing?
Cards I consider to be ‘waiting’ cards include:
- Two of Wands – not time to take action, plans are still being formulated. Look at that staff bolted to the wall. The chap in the image is going nowhere.
- Three of Wands – it’s in motion, nothing you can do right now but sit back and wait or turn your attention to something else.
- Four of Pentacles – don’t be impulsive, especially when thinking of splurging money on something.
- Four of Swords – rest now or pay for it later. Energy levels are low; conserve them. You’ll feel better for it.
- The Wheel – not a ‘lazy’ card but, depending on other cards, it often tells you to be still and centered while turmoil happens around you.
- The Hanged Man – you’re stuck so stop pushing; go with the flow for now. Practise meditation.
- The Moon – wait; listen to your intuition before going any farther. Things will become clearer.
- The World – you are in between phases – a good place undoubtedly and a new cycle will begin when the time is right.
Some people will always prefer to act or orchestrate events rather than be still. The tarot advises you to just let go. For now. Someone might be itching to make a decision or feel they can’t make up their minds. Tarot might advise that they need to step back as all will be come clear, or perhaps the best course is not to choose right now. When in doubt, do nothing.
In a relationship reading, a seeker might be impatient that their loved one doesn’t seem keen on moving things forward. Tarot may be saying, relax, give them a little time; do not pressure them.
In response to a career question, tarot may indicate that good things come to those who wait a while. Keep doing what you are doing and your talents will be recognised.
It’s hard to explain to a seeker that they should do nothing or expect nothing much to happen. I have had clients who came to me repeatedly and each time, I had nothing to give them. One elderly gentleman was hoping for love to blossom with a widow he knew. The cards gave no indication of a developing relationship and indeed, after trying to get her to pay attention to him, he gave up. It just wasn’t going to happen. In this kind of scenario, it’s a good idea to restrict the repeated question reading to one or two cards and encourage the client to focus on another area of their life, otherwise they are simply wasting their time and money getting readings on an unchanging situation.
Tarot says “Let’s go!”
Don’t you love it when there is a clear pattern of ‘all systems go’? When the tarot advises a definite course of action it can be so helpful.
Cards that suggest moving forward to me are:
- Eight of Wands – c’mon, get organized. Many things to do!
- Ten of Wands – one step after the other will get you there.
- Knight of Wands – the most active of the Knights. Beware impulsiveness though.
- Seven of Pentacles – stop prevaricating; find your direction.
- Three of Cups – let’s dance!
- Eight of Cups – moving on, though it might be difficult.
- Six of Swords – slowly but steadily; better times ahead.
- Eight of Swords – you must take action to get yourself free – it looks harder than it actually is. Really.
- Knight of Swords – Don’t think, act!
- The Fool – just do it; the Universe will take care of you.
- The Chariot – take control and get moving.
I am sure you can find lots more.
Of course, it also depends on the situation and surrounding cards but clients love it when you can give them impetus and show them that taking action will be beneficial to them.
One of my favourite spreads is ‘Take action or not?’ Three cards:
- Wait or move?
- Which direction?
- Consequences
Sample reading – a real life work-related issue.
Should I contact this person?
- Wait or move? – The Star
- Which direction? – Six of Swords
- Consequences – Ten of Pentacles
The Star says you are in the right place to choose. Everything is in your favor. The Six of Swords says, yes, you are already headed in the right direction (I love that in the Robin Wood version there is a star (or lamp) twinkling in a cave up ahead). Ten of Pentacles says, if you contact this person and work with them, then the outcome will be beneficial for you and your family.
I love it when things come together. Listen to your cards. Do they advise you to wait or to move? The answers are right there in front of you.
Hi i recently did this spread and im a little confused by it, my question was “should I contact paul”
wait or move: Page of wands: indicates move/send the message but
which direction: 3 of swords: I kinda took that as “away from pain” or maybe i’m paralyzed by it which is what stops me messaging him?
consequences: The fool, the beginnings of a new journey
so im really confused as to whether I should do something or not, as my question after to see if it clarified the matter was: should I wait for paul to contact me?
wait or move strength: unsure if this is an action card (although in most depictions its not exactly static)
which direction: Ace of swords, towards a new beginning, cutting to the truth as swords aren’t known as patient cards,#
consequences: 6 of swords there will be movement of some kind but it may be slow?
please could you help me with this
thank you
Hello Elizabeth,
Sorry you found it confusing. I think you just needed to stick to the first spread.
The Page of Wands is poised to go but there’s some hesitation. That’ll be you. Waiting a little.
The Three of Swords, could well be the motivation, but it also means watch out for miscommunication. It’s almost always connected to a broken heart, but I deduce that Swords = headstuff and threes can mean entanglement. See where that is going? So, here, I think, direction means to get yourself clear on the message first.
Once that’s done and you have complete clarity, the Fool says, go do it. Take a chance. What’s the worst that could happen?
Forget the other three cards 🙂
Hey! So, I found this post very interesting, and decided to apply this spread with a friend, but it left me A bit confused, since I pulled the 9 of pentacles as the 1st card, and the 9 of swords as the 2nd card. I felt it was intriguing, and I saw myself unable to solve the message the cards were trying to communicate. Any opinions on it?
Hi Marina,
So what was the question and what was the third card? I can’t give an opinion unless I have all the info 🙂 Interestingly, that sample reading was whether I should take up a writing job offer. I did take the advice that the cards offered and contacted the person in question. The work now provides a small but regular extra income for my family.
So, my wanted to know whether she should or not go to another country to pursue a love interest, after she finishes her studies. The third card was the 2 of cups.
I thought the 3 cards that showed up were sort of intriguing, since for me 9 of tentacles and 9 of swords seem so different, and the outcome looked as favorable for new romance. I couldn’t bring myself to decipher the whole message though. Any insightful opinion would be awesome! 🙂
Should I pursue my love interest after I complete my studies? This will entail me traveling abroad.
Wait or move? Nine of Pentacles
Which direction? Nine of Swords
Consequences? Two of Cups
The Nine of Pentacles suggests that she stays right where she is to complete her studies. The Nine of Swords indicates that the wait and separation will be difficult. She’ll find it hard to concentrate. She needs to know that the path she will take is intrinsically linked to the fact that she feels trapped by her choices. Love is on the horizon, but my feeling is that it will be closer to home. In other words either he will come to her, or she will find another love.
In the context of the spread, you have to take the cards literally. Assuming you are using a RWS type deck, the Nine of Pentacles shows a woman who clearly has made the right choice. It’s not a card of movement, so it’s a ‘wait’. The Nine of Swords shows a figure in the grip of worry and anxiety. While she knows she is doing what she needs to do, she is concerned that she is allowing love to slip through her fingers, thus the feeling of feeling trapped by her decision. So there is no ‘direction’ as such. Because both these cards are pretty static, the following Two of Cups indicates that the romance will follow on from right where she is. Does that make sense?
Of course, it would be a good idea to do another reading closer to the end of her studies which should clarify her position then.
Hope that helps.
This is actually very helpful! I was feeling conflicted when i first saw the cards, and first saw the 9 of pentacles as a go card, but, the more i thought about it, the more it felt it was a ‘right now, you are better off by yourself’. Your view of the situation really helped me put this into perspective!
I will surely make another reading for hear when the ending of her studies are nearer!
Thanks a million for your input 🙂
You are welcome, Marina. Happy New Year.