4-Card Tarot Reading

The 4-card tarot reading: quick, yet powerful

Tarot reading has been the most popular form of fortune-telling ever since it first appeared in the 16^th century, and it is the one with the widest range of practices, each different from the next. Indeed, there are many tarot decks such as the Rider Waite or the Egyptian tarot, even though most tarot readers generally work with a Tarot of Marseille deck.

You will also find many spreads, such as the cross spread or the Oracle de Belline, to name but a few, as well as variations of these that use only 4 cards.

What is the 4-card tarot reading?

There are many situations in our respective lives that may lead us to do a divinatory tarot reading. We may indeed turn to a reading following a job loss, because we are no longer quite sure we are still as deeply in love, because our health is failing us, or simply to find out whether we stand a chance of being the next lottery winner.

All these reasons are personal to us and touch on sensitive matters that can keep our minds spinning until we find a way to resolve the problem. And to find that solution as quickly as possible, what could be better than taking a peek into our very own future ? That is exactly what many tarot readings offer, thanks to the interpretation of the cards, which here go by the name of blades.

A 4-card tarot reading draws on better-known spreads that are also somewhat more complex to perform, which is why some people prefer to stick to these 4 blades. It is generally practised with the 22 major arcana of a Tarot of Marseille deck, although there are versions that also use the 56 minor arcana.

There are also several ways to perform this reading, and everything hinges on the placement of our 4 cards. Thus, depending on the layout we give them, our reading may take one direction rather than another. But first, as with many divinatory readings, we must think very hard about the question we wish to ask the cards in order to lift a certain weight off our shoulders.

How does the 4-card tarot reading work?

The various types of 4-card spread therefore differ in the layout you give your cards. So whether you form a square, a diamond, or a line of 4 blades will matter, as it will influence the direction of the reading.

Blades drawn such as the Tower or the Wheel of Fortune will here be of crucial importance in the answer that will be given to you afterwards. Among these 4-card spreads you will therefore find:

• The Oracle game, in which the cards are laid out as two stacked rows forming a square. The top blades offer a favourable answer, or not, while the bottom ones reveal past or future events that may influence the answer to the question asked.

• The exclusions game also sees the cards placed in two stacked rows. But here the top row embodies the possible advantages regarding the question, while the bottom row represents the fulfilment of these potential advantages.

• The 4 elements game, where the cards are laid out in the shape of a diamond. The card placed at the top is the element of water and embodies the emotional life and emotional state of the subject. The card placed on the right is the element of Air; it is the mental spirit of the querent. The card placed on the left is the element of Fire and embodies the subject’s personal quest. As for the one placed at the bottom, it is the element of Earth and embodies their entire material life. This 4-card tarot reading is effective in allowing the cards to answer the question asked, but also in better understanding the personality somewhat hidden within the querent.

Why do a 4-card tarot reading?

Whether you do a tarot reading yourself or have it performed by a tarot reader ultimately matters little. What counts is simply knowing how to best interpret all the different cards that make up the deck. What is also essential is the question you want to ask the cards.

Indeed, this question must be very personal and touch on a sensitive subject in your daily life so that the answer given by the cards can be as accurate as possible. You should therefore not stray too far from subjects such as love, work and health to be sure of receiving the most meaningful revelations about your future. But beyond the answer the cards give you, it is a true life experience that you will witness during a divinatory reading session.

An experience that will flirt with your past, present and future, to help you best follow the path of your destiny.