AUTHOR’S NOTE: I admit to being more than a little skeptical of the “empowerment” (aka “cheerleading”) mode of divination and of unbridled optimism in general, which is why I seldom take anything I see in a spread at face value. I’m always looking for the “rest of the story” (in talk-radio host Paul Harvey’s memorable turn of phrase), the good with the bad and the bad with the good, because many (if not most) experiences are a mingled affair of up-sides and down-sides. The goal of any conscientious tarot reader should be to level the playing field so neither runs away with the narrative.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn had several card titles that speak to this phenomenon. The 4 of Cups was the “Lord of Blended Pleasure;” the 5 of Cups the “Lord of Loss in Pleasure;” the 7 of Swords the “Lord of Unstable Effort;” the 8 of Swords the “Lord of Shortened Force;” and the 7 of Pentacles the “Lord of Success Unfulfilled.” All of these suggest coming up short in one’s endeavors and might be seen as a “glass-half-empty” proposition. I’ve written specific essays on the 4 of Cups and 8 of Swords, and I covered the rest in my esoteric “Tarot 101” learning material elsewhere in this blog. (Those interested in exploring the roots of our modern definitions should seek out a free download of Liber T, the Golden Dawn’s tarot curriculum.)

But there can be a tendency to read too deeply into favorable auguries, seeking the proverbial “fly in the ointment” when it is a straightforward matter of excellent tidings. There may very well be no need to take it further by looking for trouble where none is indicated. I came across the concept of “over-interpretation” while reading Cory Hutcheson’s book on playing-card divination, which describes the practice as much less anal about finding all of the countervailing nuances in the cards, reminiscent of Lenormand reading. Sometimes a cheerful “Heart is a Heart” and there are no two ways about it, as long as the reader and querent don’t get too analytical in over-thinking its implications. When it comes to tarot, the curmudgeon in me wants to protest that this is naive, there will always be shades of grey, but I’m prepared to acknowledge that even the most stink-eyed cynic will sometimes get it wrong.