Tarot Triumphs

The interplay of the two can also be considered. For instance, if a person has asked about his current employment and the top card (18) is the Wheel of Fortune and the bottom card (19) is the Chariot, it may be appropriate to say (taking other cards and positions into account): “You are at heart very ambitious, but in your current work you're subject to too many changes outside your control to achieve your aims.”

Then, as we have just seen, these two cards act as the essence of the moment in time in which the question is asked; they carry the actions of the past and the potency of the future within them. Although they are placed on the central column of the reading, they reign over the other two triads, the left- and right-hand sides of the second double diamond, pointing backward and forward in time. They are the ultimate factors in the now of the reading.

The Top and Bottom Cards (18 and 19)
Replace the cards, shuffle again, and this time pick out just two cards to represent the top and bottom of the reading (18 and 19 on the diagram). Study these as a pair: What could they be saying about the essence of the reading? What are the ultimate factors affecting past, present, and future? Remember that we do not have the previous cards from the middle row here to guide us. You are picking two cards for a separate study.

The upper triangle represents the situation in the outer world: “real” events, other people, and external situations.
The lower triangle represents what is happening in the inner world: personal feelings and forces working below the surface.
The two halves reflect each other to some extent, but they have their own qualities too.
The left-hand column of the reading represents the past, the central one the present, and the right-hand one the future.
The central line is where inner and outer worlds interact, and each pair of cards placed there is a dynamic duo to be considered in combination.
The six cards just above and below the center line (8–13) emphasize what is happening in the external and internal worlds.
The transition points from past to present are marked by nos. 14 and 15, and the movement from present to future are marked by nos. 16 and 17. These cards are the carriers of change.
The uppermost and lowermost cards, 18 and 19, are the summit and the depth of the reading. They represent the culmination of external and internal forces respectively, but they are also indicators of how past, present, and future link together.
The three cards laid facedown represent the reason why the question was asked. This is another way of saying, “What's missing from the situation?”
The positions of the individual cards can be studied in detail, but the layout should also be read as a whole, as it is a “mirror” of the situation or person inquired about.