| The following is a sample KnightHawk Tarot reading. It is representative of the type of readings (and commentaries on those readings) that appear in my books Tarot Reading Explained and Tarot: Get the Whole Story. |
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Dear KnightHawk,
I’m in big trouble now! I don’t know how I got talked into this, but I’m supposed to run a race against a hare. I’m just a tortoise. How
the heck am I supposed to win a race against a rabbit?
Yours truly,
The Tortoise
Dear Mr. Tortoise,
Thank you for this interesting question. To answer it, I dealt a three-card spread as follows:
1. What you need to know about your problem:
King of Wands
2. What you can do about it:
The Magician
3. What can help you:
Ace of Wands reversed
The King of Wands says that this is not a problem, it’s a challenge, and boldness will get you through it. You’ve taken a chance in
accepting the challenge of this race, but you have done so because of your conviction that you can prove yourself, despite what other
people may think your chances are.
The Magician card assures you that you have what it takes — the necessary tools and skills — to win this race. This card advises you
to tap into the self-confidence that the King of Wands says is yours, and act with will and determination. This card also says that it may
seem like it would take a miracle for you to win the race, but you are a magician when you believe in yourself and tap into the divine
power of the universe that is everyone’s birthright.
The reversed Ace of Wands says that what will help you lies inside of you. You need to face your fears and look beyond your
limitations. From the tone of your question, it seems that you still don’t quite believe that you can win this race, and thus your confidence
is blocked or diminished. Your true opponent is your own self-doubt, not the rabbit. You can only win this race if you can build up your
confidence. Know that you can do it, and then go for it.
Again, thanks for letting me read for you. I hope this helps.
Best of luck to you,
KnightHawk
I’m in big trouble now! I don’t know how I got talked into this, but I’m supposed to run a race against a hare. I’m just a tortoise. How
the heck am I supposed to win a race against a rabbit?
Yours truly,
The Tortoise
Dear Mr. Tortoise,
Thank you for this interesting question. To answer it, I dealt a three-card spread as follows:
1. What you need to know about your problem:
King of Wands
2. What you can do about it:
The Magician
3. What can help you:
Ace of Wands reversed
The King of Wands says that this is not a problem, it’s a challenge, and boldness will get you through it. You’ve taken a chance in
accepting the challenge of this race, but you have done so because of your conviction that you can prove yourself, despite what other
people may think your chances are.
The Magician card assures you that you have what it takes — the necessary tools and skills — to win this race. This card advises you
to tap into the self-confidence that the King of Wands says is yours, and act with will and determination. This card also says that it may
seem like it would take a miracle for you to win the race, but you are a magician when you believe in yourself and tap into the divine
power of the universe that is everyone’s birthright.
The reversed Ace of Wands says that what will help you lies inside of you. You need to face your fears and look beyond your
limitations. From the tone of your question, it seems that you still don’t quite believe that you can win this race, and thus your confidence
is blocked or diminished. Your true opponent is your own self-doubt, not the rabbit. You can only win this race if you can build up your
confidence. Know that you can do it, and then go for it.
Again, thanks for letting me read for you. I hope this helps.
Best of luck to you,
KnightHawk
Comments on a reading for the Tortoise and the Hare:
Before I did this reading, I had never thought much about the “back-story” of this fable. Why were these two clearly mismatched
animals running a race? And if, as seemed the case, they had such human characteristics—and thus, presumably, free will too—why did
the tortoise let himself get into a situation that must have seemed hopeless in the first place?
Once I started doing this reading and thought about what the King of Wands was saying here, it dawned on me that perhaps there was
more to the tortoise than just the legendary perseverance that won the race for him. He must have been rather bold to accept a
challenge to run a race against a hare. And he must have been determined either to prove himself or to prove his conviction that
someone with steady determination could triumph over a cocky, unfocused show-off.
Then I wondered how to interpret all of that in light of the hesitant tone of the tortoise’s question. I have learned to trust what the cards
are telling me, even if my intuition seems betrayed by what I see and hear with my physical senses, so I realized that the tortoise was
probably getting cold feet when he asked the question posed in this reading. And who doesn’t now and then? The boldness of the King
of Wands does not mean you never have self-doubts, it just means that you overcome them. In these situations, it is important to
reassure the querent that he can attain his potential and become what the cards show him to be, rather than focus on the doubts and
fears that brought him in for a reading.
Next, to interpret the Magician card, I looked at several levels of meaning. Using a somewhat mundane interpretation, I noted that the
tortoise has “the necessary tools and skills.” While urging him to “tap into the divine power of the universe,” I drew upon a more
esoteric meaning of this card — “As above, so below.” This interpretation can be seen in the Magician drawing down power with the
wand in his right hand, while grounding that energy with his left hand, which points toward the earth. Finally “it would take a miracle”
and “you are a magician” draw upon a literal use of this card’s title.
At last I came to the puzzle of the reversed Ace of Wands. Could the reversal mean that the enthusiastic energy of the Ace was lacking?
Or might it indicate that a dark side of this card, such as impetuousness, pride, or stubbornness, was at work? These options seemed
unlikely in light of the above interpretation of the King of Wands, the master of courage and confidence. Instead, that King seemed to
tell me that the reversed Ace of Wands was urging the tortoise to dig deep inside himself to find and manifest these qualities, since the
King was assuring him that they were there. These qualities were not lacking; they were just blocked, and the key to helping the tortoise
was to show him that.
Before I did this reading, I had never thought much about the “back-story” of this fable. Why were these two clearly mismatched
animals running a race? And if, as seemed the case, they had such human characteristics—and thus, presumably, free will too—why did
the tortoise let himself get into a situation that must have seemed hopeless in the first place?
Once I started doing this reading and thought about what the King of Wands was saying here, it dawned on me that perhaps there was
more to the tortoise than just the legendary perseverance that won the race for him. He must have been rather bold to accept a
challenge to run a race against a hare. And he must have been determined either to prove himself or to prove his conviction that
someone with steady determination could triumph over a cocky, unfocused show-off.
Then I wondered how to interpret all of that in light of the hesitant tone of the tortoise’s question. I have learned to trust what the cards
are telling me, even if my intuition seems betrayed by what I see and hear with my physical senses, so I realized that the tortoise was
probably getting cold feet when he asked the question posed in this reading. And who doesn’t now and then? The boldness of the King
of Wands does not mean you never have self-doubts, it just means that you overcome them. In these situations, it is important to
reassure the querent that he can attain his potential and become what the cards show him to be, rather than focus on the doubts and
fears that brought him in for a reading.
Next, to interpret the Magician card, I looked at several levels of meaning. Using a somewhat mundane interpretation, I noted that the
tortoise has “the necessary tools and skills.” While urging him to “tap into the divine power of the universe,” I drew upon a more
esoteric meaning of this card — “As above, so below.” This interpretation can be seen in the Magician drawing down power with the
wand in his right hand, while grounding that energy with his left hand, which points toward the earth. Finally “it would take a miracle”
and “you are a magician” draw upon a literal use of this card’s title.
At last I came to the puzzle of the reversed Ace of Wands. Could the reversal mean that the enthusiastic energy of the Ace was lacking?
Or might it indicate that a dark side of this card, such as impetuousness, pride, or stubbornness, was at work? These options seemed
unlikely in light of the above interpretation of the King of Wands, the master of courage and confidence. Instead, that King seemed to
tell me that the reversed Ace of Wands was urging the tortoise to dig deep inside himself to find and manifest these qualities, since the
King was assuring him that they were there. These qualities were not lacking; they were just blocked, and the key to helping the tortoise
was to show him that.
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