Objective: Continue to connect to the cards and create your own set of correspondences through personal resonance. Build on objective descriptions by digging into personal associations, memories, and experiences. The web of meaning begins to emerge.
Step 1
Use any card from your daily draw.
✨Place it on a page of your Tarot Journal. If the page isn’t big enough, use as separate sheet of paper.
✨Create a mind map around the card. Start with simple descriptions as we did in the Second Meeting.
✨Prompt yourself further:
what emotions are stirred by the card?
how would you describe the emotional texture?
does it evoke any memories for you?
personal memories
dreams
does it remind you of a movie, book, short story, poem?
does anyone pictured on the card remind you of someone you know?
does anyone pictured look like a celebrity or public figure?
does it bring to mind a common saying, proverb, line from a song, or jingle? (for you auditory folks, like me)
since we need to utilize all 5 senses, what does the image on the card smell like? (not always applicable but worth considering)
how does the scene in the card feel? (is it a hot desert, a dark scary place, cold and wet, bustling with activity?)
are you seeing any personal symbols such as butterflies for happiness or transformation? (the more quirky and specific to you, the better)
how is the color scheme landing with you? (harmonious, happy, depressing, ugly, stimulating?)
✨Don’t stop at the first bubble. Using free association connect more bubbles.
Make this a free and easy exercise. Some bubbles will dead ends while you might have some that go 3 or 4 bubbles deep.
I can’t because
I can’t because… I’m not creative. 👉 A mind map is just a fluid list. Circles, arrows, and a few words are enough. It’s not art class, it’s brain-mapping.
I can’t because… I don’t know what to write. 👉 Start with the basics: what do you see? (A figure, a color, an object.) One word leads to another — that’s the whole point of the map.
I can’t because… my mind goes blank. 👉 Great. Write the word “blank” in a bubble. That itself is data — maybe the card feels empty, confusing, or withholding.
I can’t because… I’m worried I’ll do it wrong. 👉 There’s no wrong — it’s your associations, not a textbook. If the card reminds you of a bad 80’s song or your Aunt Edna, that’s valid.
I can’t because… I don’t like doodling or drawing. 👉 Then don’t. Use single words, bullet points, or stick figures. The format doesn’t matter — the connections do.
I can’t because… I don’t see how this helps me read Tarot. 👉 These personal associations become shortcuts your intuition can grab later. You’re building a web of meaning that’s unique to you — much more memorable than memorized lists.
I can’t because… it takes too much time. 👉 Set a timer for 5 minutes. Even a mini mind map with 3 branches works. This is about practice, not perfection.
I can’t because… my ideas feel silly or random. 👉 Perfect. Random sparks often turn into the most powerful readings. Tarot speaks in images, symbols, and synchronicities — “silly” is welcome here.
I can’t because… my map will be messy. 👉 Messy is good. The brain doesn’t think in straight lines — it thinks in webs. A messy map means your brain is making connections.
I can’t because… I don’t like writing by hand. 👉 Do it digitally if you want. A mind map app, sticky notes, or even voice notes work. The point is making connections, not how you capture them.
Step 2
Now come up with 2 or 3 keywords for the card in question based on your mind map.
Example:
Congratulations, you just created your first Tarot correspondence.
How to measure success
Got out your notebook = 1 pt
Create a mind map of a single card = 1 pt
Wrote down 2 or 3 keywords for the card = 1 pt
Hooray, you! I hope you earned 3 points to day.
Step 3
Continue to pull a card or two at the beginning of the day and write 2-3 lines about the card(s) you pulled.
For your 2-3 lines either describe the card as in Meeting 2, or create a mind map as here in Meeting 3.
Go back and reflect at the end of the day writing 2-3 lines about what you encountered in your day. Don’t worry about matching anything up with the cards. Just write it down.
Hail your inner High Priestess! Circe by John William Waterhouse
Summary
This week you learned to stretch beyond simple description and build a personal web of meaning around each card.
By creating a mind map by adding emotions, memories, associations, even random sparks, you’ve started turning Tarot into a living language that speaks your dialect.
It’s not about neatness or “right answers,” it’s about connecting to your inner knowing.
Every messy bubble and half-baked doodle is another thread in your Tarot tapestry.
Next week we will connect to intuition and let it speak without much prompting. I think you’ve learned to trust yourself enough by now to take on pure intuitive hits.
When you're ready, here's how I can help:
Free Stuff: how to stop googling definitions, free card download, easy beginner spreads, a spread deck...
Pay what you can store: Cracking the Tarot Nut e-book, quick and dirty intro to all 78 cards, Tarot Spells mini-guide
